Parenting
by yesimadramaqueen
Summary: Rose and the Doctor must face the most terrifying adventure yet: parenthood. Twins Hannah and Sarah aren't average infants, and they aren't going to make things easy. Sequel to my story called "Expecting." 10/Rose baby fic. Chronicles the children from age three weeks to one year. Fluff and adventure all in one.
1. Chapter 1

"I think that sleep deprivation as finally gotten me," Rose whispered.

"Why's that?" the Doctor answered quietly.

She pointed to the console of the TARDIS. "I swear that I just saw something moving. Like a little goblin or something."

"Hallucinations? Tell me you're joking."

"I swear I saw something over there. Doctor, we haven't slept in three weeks."

He scoffed. "We have slept some."

"One hour a night does not count. You're just as tired as I am."

"Yep. This Time Lord has officially run out of energy for the first time in over nine hundred years."

The two travelers were seated on the floor of the console room. Rose's hair was sticking up in twenty different directions and it looked like she had been punched in both eyes. The Doctor wasn't much better. He had stopped wearing his suit for the last week and switched back to the casual jumper of his former regeneration.

Rose idly curled up into his lap and tugged on the jumper with a smile. "Never thought I'd see these again."

"Well, I didn't like that my suits were covered in feces and vomit. I've had to adjust. I see you've gone back to your mother's old maternity clothes."

She shrugged. "Comfortable and I don't care if they're ruined. Plus, I still haven't shed all of the weight yet."

"Are you sure? You look the same as before the children."

"Rubbish. I'm a mess. My hair alone is dreadful. You're looking well, though. What's your secret? Do you use eye cream or something?"

"Nope. It's just a perk of regenerating. Can you imagine if I hadn't changed? Blimey, I'd look awful. I was already showing my age back then. It'd be terrifying now. Wrinkles everywhere. And the poor children would have the largest ears."

She chuckled. "So what? I liked you in leather. Our girls would still be the most adorable babies in the universe, and they'd probably still have your energy. I'm just waiting for the crying to start again. What has it been now? Five minutes of silence?"

He considered the time. "Almost ten. It's nearly a record."

"I knew that twins would be hard, but this has been ridiculous. I mean, in the best possible way. Although, as much as I love our daughters, I _really_ miss sleeping."

"You're not the only one."

They grew silent and Rose attempted to drift off. Instead, she saw something moving again and leapt upwards. The Doctor put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Rose?"

"I saw it again. Did you see it?"

He was becoming very concerned about her. "No. I didn't. Get some rest."

When she shut her eyes, she felt him jump. "Doctor?"

"I think that _I_ saw something now."

"Okay, so this isn't in my head."

They stood up and quietly moved towards the console. Rounding the room, they both stopped in their tracks. Rose put a hand to her mouth and the Doctor was literally speechless. She pointed at the floor and he nodded in recognition.

"That's…" she started, unable to finish.

"I know."

"But how?"

"I don't know."

"There's no way that…"

"I know."

"How could…"

"I really don't know."

On the floor, one of the twins was crawling about. The Doctor stepped forward and scooped his little one up in amazement. Rose stared with bleary eyes and a fraught smile.

"Her first time crawling. That's unbelievable."

"I don't understand it, Rose. She's three weeks old. And apparently she has escaped her cot _and_ the nursery. This is more advanced than Time Ladies should be. It must be a result of combining the human and Time Lord DNA. Take the Gallifreyan aptitude for advanced development and add in the instincts and persistence of a human…you get a super baby."

"Super baby?" Rose laughed. "It might just be that she's ours."

"That could be it. Now, let's get you back into your nursery, Sarah."

"That's Hannah."

The Doctor paused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. She's wearing white today and Sarah is wearing pink. Besides, Hannah has the shape of your face and Sarah has the shape of mine."

"Right. Of course. I'll get it eventually. They're just so identical it's mental. Sorry 'bout that, Hannah Banana."

The parents took Hannah back to the nursery and set her down in her cot. She made a fuss and began to sob. The Doctor and Rose both froze, waiting for Sarah to join in the noise. When she didn't, they turned around and were met with an empty space.

"Oh no," the Doctor grimaced. "I thought that we had the best locks in the universe."

Rose motioned to it. "The lock is shut. Somehow, she got out anyway."

"Well, I'll go look for her and you watch Hannah. We can't have another getaway. These two never stay put where they're supposed to. I wonder where they get _that_ from…"

"Oi, don't start. I wonder why the three week olds are already running around and looking for trouble. Where could they get _that_ from?"

He grinned and took off into the TARDIS. After checking the kitchen, console room, garden, library, and ten other rooms, he was getting worried. In a calm voice, he started to call for her.

"Sarah? Sarah Bear? It's your dad. Come out wherever you are. This isn't time for hide and seek…"

Pausing in the hall, he heard the sounds of an infant. He followed the noise to the bedroom he shared with Rose, but she was nowhere to be found. He listened closely and heard the unmistakable evidence that there was a robot dog under the bed.

"Powell, come here."

The robot puppy slid out from under the bed excitedly. "How may I be of assistance, Master?"

"Where is Sarah?"

"Playing under the bed."

He got down on all fours and peeked under their bed. Sarah was against the wall with a smile on her face that looked just like his. He held out his hand and she backed away. Groaning, he attempted to go in after her. The bed wasn't meant for grown men to crawl beneath, so he used Powell to jack it up high enough. Once he got closer, the infant scurried out and away. He chased her into the hall and finally got her into his arms.

"Sarah Jaclyn Tyler, this is not a way to behave. You need to stay in your nursery."

The baby smiled at him. Both of his hearts melted, but he still wasn't happy with her actions. He entered the nursery where Rose was standing in the middle of the room. She pointed to the cot with a cute grin. "Watch."

He observed as Hannah easily slipped between the bars. Rose picked her up and put her back inside. Hannah smiled at the game and did it again. She held the baby tightly and looked at the Doctor with a mix of worry and amusement. "I don't think that the makers of this crib thought that babies this small could move like our daughters."

"Well, we'll just fill in the gaps and make it solid. No problem there. I'm guessing the doggie door was their method for escape. I should probably close that as well. Found our Sarah."

"I see that. Where was she?"

"Playing with the puppy under our bed."

Rose frowned. "Powell…"

"He doesn't understand that they aren't old enough to run about yet. I didn't think this would be an issue."

"No one did. It's bloody impossible. Babies are usually, what, four to six months before they move like this?"

"Yep. But, that's our children. Impossible."

They grinned at the memories. If it weren't for those aliens in that lab, they wouldn't have ever had their twins. Then again, they weren't exactly planning on children at all. It was a happy happenstance, albeit a taxing one.

Rose sat with both of the girls until the Doctor could fix the cot and door situation. Once he did, they put the girls down in their respective places. He had a very stern expression.

"Now, listen you two. You are to stay here and take a quiet nap. No more breakouts. Got that, girls?"

He took their silence as a yes. After that, the parents tiredly wandered into their room. Rose gave Powell the robot a verbal chiding while the full sized K-9 was ordered to guard the babies. If they escaped, K-9 would send off an alert.

"I think that we need a nap more than they do," Rose yawned as she burrowed into their bed.

He nodded and draped himself around her. Two minutes later, one baby was crying and K-9 was sending off alerts. They darted into the room to find Sarah bawling and Hannah attempting to pull herself up. Rose went to Sarah and the Doctor picked up Hannah.

"Well, Rose…I think that I picked the perfect middle name for Hannah Rosaline. She takes after her mother."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"She never gives up."

"Oh, God. She's going to be hell when she hits her teenage years."

"I'm looking forward to it."


	2. Chapter 2

"_Rose_," he groaned like a four year old. "C'mon."

"I said no, Doctor."

He frowned and looked at her with his big, brown eyes. "You know you want to."

"I do want to, but not just yet."

"It'll be fine."

"Our daughters are barely two months old and already attempting to take over the TARDIS. How do you think they'll do if we take them on one of our adventures right now? I'll tell you. They'll get away from us and get lost in some century miles away from where they should be. They might even get taken by aliens. Not to mention how fussy they are. If we're trying to save a planet, we'll get distracted by our howling infants."

He pouted. "We haven't been on a real adventure in ages. I'm really starting to miss it. I am very happy with our life, but I can't do domestics full time. You know that I can't. There has to be danger and excitement and discovery! And parenthood doesn't count. I need planets and time travel. I'd even take a cat in a nun's wimple at this point."

"I know. That's who you are and I love you for it. I can't do this full time either. But, until they're at least six months, I say that they have to stay here. It just isn't safe for _anybody_ involved."

Groaning, he thought of something. "Can Jackie watch them? It would be you and me. Alone. Saving the world. We'll call it a date."

"Though that sounds lovely, she's busy for a few days. Something about going on holiday with her girlfriends. Here's a thought. Why don't you go on an adventure by yourself? Call up some old mates or something."

"But Rose, _you're_ my companion. We travel _together_."

"And we have kids together. I'm fine staying with them for now. Really, I'm too tired for thrilling heroics anyway. Go on and run about for a while. We'll stay at home."

With a sorrowful frown, he agreed and set a course. Once he changed into one of his suits, he said farewell to the twins and met Rose in the console room. She adjusted his tie with a sunny smile. "Sonic screwdriver?"

"In my coat."

"Psychic paper?"

"In my pocket."

"Brainy specs?"

He patted his chest. "Right here. Baby monitor?"

"Back pocket."

"Supplemental formula?"

"Ready in the fridge."

"Mobile in case of emergencies?"

She held it up. "Here it is. Come back in one piece. And have fun, yeah?"

"Oh yes. I'll see you and our girls in just a few hours."

Before he left, he gave her one more kiss. She went to the nursery and smiled at the two cots with some apprehension. It was the first time they were alone. It couldn't be too bad, could it?

"All right, girls. It's just us. Don't give me too hard of a time. I'm new at this. Be good for your mummy, okay?"

Both of the babies began to sob.

"Well, so much for that…" she grumbled as she went to Sarah first.

She changed them both, but the crying wouldn't stop. K-9 delivered the formula from the fridge per her request, and it seemed to be keeping Hannah quiet. On the other hand, Sarah had snatched her bottle and managed to get the top off. Rose didn't notice until she glanced up from Hannah.

"Don't!"

Sarah poured the formula all over herself, the floor, her plush toys, and the cot. To make matters worse, she decided that the bottle topper was a good thing to throw. It whacked Rose in the forehead and fell atop Hannah. Hannah started to cry and then vomited all over Rose's shirt. She looked around at the mess with a sigh.

"Just like their father. Have to make trouble wherever they are."

Meanwhile, on the alien planet outside of the TARDIS, the Doctor was being chased by a group of giant killer turtles. He ducked into an alley to catch his breath. "Turtles. Why couldn't it be tortoises? Tortoises are much slower. And what do turtles want with a planet anyway? We have to find out!"

Suddenly, he remembered that he didn't have his family with him. Ignoring the pang of loneliness, he stepped into the street after the turtles had vanished. Using his sonic screwdriver, he attempted to find the direction they went. It wasn't working very well. He put on his glasses to adjust the settings and heard laughter. When he looked, he saw a couple with their kids wandering the sidewalk. He frowned and missed Rose and the girls even more.

"They would have _loved_ giant turtles trying to conquer the planet…"

On the TARDIS, Rose placed both kids in the bath. Hannah had a grip on Rose's hoop earring and Sarah had stolen the cloth. When Rose attempted to get it back, Hannah pulled on her ear and Sarah threw the cloth at her face. She took a steadying breath and wiped the suds from her eyes. Both of the girls had their father's mischievous grin. She held up her hand to the babies calmly.

"We need to finish the bath. If you both are good, I'll read you a story. If you misbehave, I'll put you down for a nap and have the robot dogs guard your room. What's it going to be?"

Hannah yanked on her ear and Sarah tried to make a break for it. Rose caught Sarah before she could get out while Hannah successfully unhooked her mother's earring. She felt the earring get pulled, and when she glanced Hannah had it in her mouth. Rose fought with her to get it back, but the child swallowed it.

"Hannah! You don't eat that!" she cried as she scooped up both of the babies.

As quickly as possible, she found her mobile in the nursery. Sarah was set down in her cot while Rose nervously held onto Hannah. It started to ring and she prayed that her mum wasn't too busy to answer. Naturally, she got her mother's voicemail.

"Mum, it's me. Hannah swallowed my entire hoop earring. I have no idea what to do. I'm home alone because my Time Lord is out on an adventure. If he's having fun, I probably won't see him for hours. What am I saying? Of course he's having fun. It's the Doctor. He thinks _everything_ is fun. Please call as soon as you get this."

In a moment of panic, she decided to try her distant relatives. One had no idea who she was or that she had children, thus they hung up on her thinking that she was selling something. Another didn't answer their phone, and the one after that had changed their number. The old number happened to be a Spanish restaurant. She actually asked Pablo the waiter what to do out of desperation.

Thankfully, he saved the day. "It should pass on its own, but you probably should check her out with an x-ray or something as soon as you can. And make sure she doesn't get a fever or infected."

"Pablo, you are the best. Thank you so much."

"No problem. I have four kids. They've all eaten something they weren't supposed to at some point. My oldest actually swallowed an entire fork. Well, I gotta get back to work. Good luck to you. And don't even think about having more than two. I have a fifth on the way and things are already a bloody nightmare."

As soon as they hung up, Sarah began to sob and Hannah joined in. Rose groaned as her mobile rang with the noise. She juggled the kids and the phone at the same time. "Mum?"

"Rose! I just got your message. You—"

"Don't worry. Pablo told me what to do."

"Pablo?"

"Great Aunt Marty's number is now a restaurant. Can't talk now. Two screaming babies."

She hung up and attempted to calm the girls with singing. Once they quieted down, she put them in their cots and stepped into the wardrobe room to find a new shirt that wasn't stained and sopping wet. After she changed, she heard a loud crash and went running.

Upon returning to the nursery, she found Sarah standing up with half of her mobile in her hands. She was in the process of taking it apart. Hannah was also standing up and observing from her cot, making quiet noises like she was talking. Sarah smiled and began to piece the parts together. Rose blinked. "What are you doing?"

After watching for half an hour, Rose was amazed to find that her two month old had built something. Sarah pointed it at the wall of the cot and one of the screws came loose. She did it again to the other side and then pushed until a slit opened. The baby wandered through it and crawled to her sister's crib. She did it the same to free Hannah. They sat upright on the floor with each other, playing with toys and communicating with baby babble.

Rose shook her head. "Incredible. Well, if you can't beat 'em…join 'em."

She sat with her daughters and began to play, calling in Powell the puppy to join in on the games. It was a great time, though she wished that her Time Lord were there to see it all. He had missed so much and would be so proud of the clever girls. Unfortunately, the fun turned into mayhem moments later.

Back on the planet, the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at a cellar door and slipped inside of a factory. It was the home base for the evil turtles. He found them having a meeting above the large vats for canned stew. The turtles refused his offer to go peacefully, so in a moment of genius he got into a chase with them and led them right into the hot liquid.

"Green turtle soup. Brilliant. I wish Rose were here to see this. And the girls, of course. Well, I should get home. Hopefully, everything went all right…"

He stopped to pick up a big, plush turtle from a toy shop for the kids. After that, he happily wandered to the TARDIS. He went straight to the nursery to find one of the girls dangling from Rose's earring and the other riding Powell the puppy as he short circuited.

"Rose?" he called over the commotion.

With difficulty, she managed to get control of Hannah. The Doctor had to pluck Sarah from the back of Powell while he fizzled. Rose smiled in relief. "Thank God you're home."

"Did it go that badly?"

"Well, Sarah poured formula all over herself and the nursery. Then, she threw the bottle topper at her sister which made her cry and puke on my shirt. I tried to give them a bath, but Sarah hit me in the face with the cloth and Hannah swallowed my earring. When I put them down for a nap, Sarah destroyed the mobile and made some kind of device. She escaped and sprung Hannah. We tried to play a friendly game, but Hannah really likes my earrings and Sarah used her device on the robot dog. He doesn't look well."

The Doctor smirked and took the little device from Sarah. "Aw, this is adorable and very clever! She repurposed the magnetic system I used for the mobile to make a magnetic manipulator. Genius, that is. No wonder Powell got his circuits fried. I can fix that no problem. Now, what's this about our Hannah Banana and earrings?"

"…she ate one."

"Quite right. Well, let's take her to the medical bay. I need to see where it is. I might have to remove it. Highly unlikely, but that kind of defines these two."

He gave the stuffed toy to Sarah to keep her silent while they headed to the medical bay. Rose pecked him on the cheek as they walked. "What kind of fun did I miss?"

"Oh, killer turtles trying to take over the planet. But, if you ask me, I'm the one that missed the fun…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Twenty-four hours…almost continuous…" the Doctor shouted over the sobbing.

"I know," Rose shouted back.

The Doctor and Rose were pacing in the nursery, bouncing their three month olds to calm the noise. He had Hannah and she had Sarah. Nothing was working. The babies had only slept for a few minutes at a time, which the Doctor had just discovered came to a grand total of two hours.

"Rose, I just thought of something. They've slept for a combined two hours in the last day."

"More than we have," she commented irritably.

"Do you know what that means?"

She thought about it and glared at him. "You only need two hours a night."

"They apparently can function on the same…"

"I hate your Gallifreyan DNA sometimes."

He smirked. "But it's not my fault that they're loud. That's a Tyler trait."

"Oi!"

Ten minutes later, they were still crying. The Doctor resorted to the rocker and Rose was attempting to sing Sarah to sleep. No matter what, nothing stopped the ruckus. She sent an exhausted look in the Time Lord's direction.

"They are more relentless than Daleks."

"Oh, most definitely. We'd have beaten Daleks hours ago. These two are still going."

"Tell me about it," she laughed tiredly. "We've changed them, fed them, sang to them, rocked them, walked them, bounced them, bathed them, played with them, read to them…what else could we possibly do?"

He got an idea. "Television. Follow me. I know just the thing."

They wandered into the movie room and he put on cartoons. The babies sat up between their parents, yet they still screamed. He changed it to a different cartoon and it didn't make a difference. While he tried various children's shows, Rose had an idea of her own. She stole his sonic screwdriver and put on a documentary about the universe. The kids stopped crying.

"How'd you do that?" the Doctor questioned in amazement.

"They're our kids. You find this sort of thing fascinating, so if they take after you they'll watch it in silence. If they take after me, they'll be asleep in ten minutes. Either way, we win."

Ten minutes into the film, both children were fast asleep. The Doctor grinned. "I am so happy that they're Tyler girls."

"Shush. Don't wake them. Should we put them back in their cots?"

"Would that make them wake up?"

"I don't know."

"Let's not risk it. You stay here. I'll move the monitor from the nursery."

She smiled in relief. "Yes, do that. Then, we get to sleep."

Carefully, he got up and tiptoed out of the room. He didn't see Powell in the hallway and accidentally tripped. He fell with a thud and held his breath. Rose was frozen in place, praying that they wouldn't wake. When they didn't, he silently got up and resumed walking. He made it to the nursery and attempted to remove the monitor. It was attached firmly to the wall.

"Don't do that. Come off," he grumbled as he fiddled with it.

When it didn't budge, he searched for his sonic screwdriver. Rose still had it. Cursing, he pulled with all of his might. It made a cracking sound and he flew backwards into the crib. He stopped moving and listened for any crying. Nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, he took a step to the door. His foot found one of their talking plush toys. It started to sing loudly.

Rose urgently looked at the twins. They were still out, but the music was still going. The Doctor picked it up and buried it under pillows and blankets. Finally, the song became muffled. He had a nervous expression as he crept back towards the movie room. Luckily, he got there silently. He set the monitor beside the babies on the couch and offered Rose a hand.

Taking it, she stood up and couch creaked and shifted. They stayed still. The kids were out and they happily backed out of the room. Once they got to the kitchen, they leaned against the counter with a relieved sigh.

"Finally," he whispered. "I never thought it'd be quiet again."

"Wait, what if they wake up and crawl away?"

"We'll send in K-9. He'll watch them. K-9," he called softly.

The robot dog came to them. "How may I be of service, Master?"

They both shushed him. "Quietly, _very_ quietly, go watch the twins. Don't let them leave the couch. If they start to go, alert us. You got that? And _quietly_…" the Doctor murmured.

"Affirmative—"

"Shush!" they both warned.

His volume went down. "Master."

They waited anxiously as the dog rolled into the movie room. There were no screams, so they called that a success. Hand in hand, they went to their room and collapsed onto their bed. They didn't bother with blankets or anything else. Within two minutes, they were both snoring. Within five, the TARDIS started to dramatically shift about.

The Doctor ran to the console room while Rose made sure that the babies were safe. Thankfully, the Doctor had put seat belts on just about everything. She carefully buckled them in, silently pleading that they stayed asleep. When they didn't wake, she darted to the console room and held onto the railing as the Doctor checked things out. He groaned at the results.

"Our power is running out."

Once again, the TARDIS shifted. They looked towards the hallway in unison, gulping worriedly. The TARDIS hadn't disturbed their daughters. At least, they didn't have to worry about that. He handed Rose a hammer and pointed to a section of the console. "Hit that a few times."

She lightly tapped it. "How's that?"

"Harder, Rose."

"The children will wake up."

"They haven't yet. Just hit it."

"Doctor, they're actually asleep for the first time in twenty-four hours. Do you seriously want them to start up again?"

"Do you want the TARDIS to catch on fire and crash into a billion little pieces? I'd take crying over flames and imminent destruction, wouldn't you?"

"Well…"

"Rose!"

"Oh, all right!"

With a scowl, she whacked the console and waited for the screams, but there weren't any. He took the hammer back pointedly and hit a few more things, turning knobs and yanking levers. He pointed to another side of the console and Rose ran to it.

"What do you need me to do?"

"You watch the screen. Tell me if the number is going up or down or staying the same."

He ran around like a madman and she watched the number. "Down. It's going down."

"Of course it is," he grumbled as he listened to the console with his stethoscope. "We have to get power right now."

They came to a rough stop atop the Rift to power back up. After a quick few seconds, they resumed flight with major bumps and the babies still didn't wake.

"That was brilliant! Danger, just the way I like it. And the girls didn't cry!" he laughed softly.

"They must really be out," Rose commented in a murmur. "Let's go check on them."

Upon reaching the movie room, the documentary was still playing and the twins hadn't moved. K-9 was in front of them on the floor, standing guard. They smiled at the sight and embraced one another, glad that they had averted disaster.

"They're so adorable," Rose whispered happily.

"They sure are," the Doctor agreed in a normal voice.

Both of the babies woke up and began to bawl.

Rose sent the Doctor daggers. His mouth hung open in astonishment. "After all that, _this_ is what woke them?"

They each picked up a baby and got to work calming them. The Doctor fiddled with his sonic screwdriver as Sarah sobbed in his arms. He looked to Rose. "Which film is the most boring?"

"Ancient Egypt or the one about the magical world of mathematics."

He looked very offended. "But those are two of my most beloved documentaries."

"Exactly. Just put one on."

They went with the one about math and sat down with the kids in their laps. Gradually, the crying stopped and they fell fast asleep. When they attempted to place the children on the couch and walk away, they woke up and cried harder. He turned up the volume and waited for their girls to sleep. In a few minutes, they were completely out.

"You are incredible, Rose Tyler. I'm glad you thought of this documentary tactic. I couldn't take the crying for a second longer," he whispered with a quiet chuckle. She didn't answer. "Rose?"

Rose was snoring with the girls. He smiled and propped his feet on K-9. The film was one of his top picks, so he simply enjoyed the time he had to himself in a silent room. Just before it ended, he quickly switched the one about Egypt. His Tyler women stayed asleep and he happily absorbed the overdose of boring information.

After a bit, he fell asleep too. That is, until the film ended and the twins woke screaming.


	4. Chapter 4

"This is such a big moment," the Doctor laughed as he danced around the kitchen.

Rose couldn't help smiling at the not frilly, but still way too feminine, apron he found. He was in the process of what looked like a mad science experiment. Beakers were everywhere, steam was coming off the burners, pots were boiling, his glasses were on, and he was using a curious machine. The twins were in their respective high chairs, clapping their hands and laughing. They had only started laughing a few weeks back and it was all they wanted to do. It was loads better than tears.

"What exactly are you doing? And what's that machine?" Rose asked in a baby voice as she tickled the girls.

"I'm making their first solid food. It has to have all of the essential nutrients, of course. So, this machine tells me the exact levels of the vitamins and such within my concoctions. It is very close to being just right. One last test."

Hannah laughed and banged on her chair as if she understood what all that meant. She probably did, Rose figured.

"I'll bet that they'll love bananas and chips like we do," Rose chuckled. "Of course, the chips will wait until they get more teeth."

He smirked. "You and your chips."

"How about you and your edible ball bearings?"

"They're genius! You can't argue with that."

Sarah made an unhappy sound and Rose put a hand to her forehead. "She's still a little warm. Poor Sarah and her teething. She's better than last night, though. Thank God they've stopped crying in pairs. But, I am worried about that. Hannah was laughing at her tears earlier. I think sibling rivalry is kicking in."

Almost on cue, Sarah shoved her sister and Hannah stuck her tongue out in response. Rose suppressed a chuckle at that. It would be interesting to see how they acted when they were much older.

There was a ding and the Doctor leapt excitedly. He scanned the report and cheered at his cleverness. Carefully, he measured the right amounts and set the bowls on the table. He took the one for Sarah and Rose had the one for Hannah.

"First time with solids. They might be confused or a little difficult. Don't push it too hard," the Doctor warned.

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's not going to be that bad. They've watched us eat before. I'm sure they're smart enough to know what to do."

Together, they began to hold a spoonful out to the girls. Hannah turned her head away and Sarah put a hand over her mouth. The parents exchanged looks. They attempted again and again, even making the spoons fly like a TARDIS. Still, the girls fought them. Rose held the spoon out with a glare and the Doctor set the bowl on the chair with a huff.

"I don't understand. It's tasty food. I tested it. They aren't even willing to try it?"

"Maybe they're afraid of change. They've been on milk for four months," Rose offered.

Hannah took the spoon from Rose and fed herself. They stared at her and the Doctor pointed. "Did she just…?"

"Yeah."

"By herself?"

"Yeah. And Doctor…" she trailed off with a nod to Sarah. "Look what she's doing."

Sarah was reaching into the bowl and eating the goo from her fingers. He chuckled. "Well, I guess they just wanted to do it themselves."

"Does that remind you of anyone?" she questioned with a laugh. "Blimey, she's her daddy's girl. Eating straight from the bowl."

"You make me sound like I'm an animal. I don't eat right out of the jar all of the time. Just when I'm really hungry. Or I don't have time to get a spoon. Or I don't want to get a spoon. Or I don't have any spoons. Or I don't know where the spoons are. Or—"

With a splat, Sarah flung a handful of goo at her sister, causing him to pause. Hannah laughed and threw a spoonful back. Rose couldn't keep a straight face. "No, no. We don't throw food like—"

Sarah had hit her right in the face with her food. The Doctor howled with laughter. "Good aim, Sarah! Look at that depth perception. And that arm! She is something else I—"

Hannah hit him in the cheek with her spoonful, laughing the entire time. Rose joined in with her daughter. "The look on your face! Priceless!"

"Oh, you think so?" the Doctor challenged.

"Yeah. What are you going to do about it?" she smirked with her tongue poking out.

He reached into the bowl and flung food at her shirt. She opened her mouth in shock. Without thinking, she did the same thing back to him. The kids found that amusing and kept throwing things at each other. When they ran out of food in the bowl, the Doctor leapt up and went to the stove. He still had pots and pots of the goop. Armed with a big spoon, he prepared himself for the toss.

"You get a choice, Rose Tyler. We call a truce or the battle continues."

"What do you think, girls? Will you help me ruin daddy's brand new apron?"

They laughed in agreement and threw their bowls at his feet. He shook his head and sent a spoonful their way. Rose chuckled and ran for another spoon and a pot on the stove. She took both to the high chairs, allowing the kids to reach in. The three of them sent food flying onto his trainers.

"Not the shoes! I love these shoes! You'll get it for that."

He took a bowl and scooped out some goo, beginning to chase Rose around the kitchen. He easily caught her and poured it into her hair. She froze in disgust. "My hair! It's going to be green for weeks!"

"What do you think, girls? Want mummy to have green hair?" he offered.

They turned on Rose and helped him pummel her with food. Once they ran out of goop, they sat at the table in the aftermath. Rose had to wipe food from her eyes every few minutes since it was still dripping from her face. The Doctor did a quick mash up of banana and a few other things, and they silently allowed the girls to feed themselves.

"Some fight," he commented. "I'd say that I won."

"Sorry, mate. I won."

"No way."

"I can wash my hair. Your trainers are ruined."

"But I got them to turn on you."

"After I already got them to turn on you first."

In unison, the babies hit their parents with the new food. They exchanged glances. "I think that the girls won," Rose decided as she wiped it from her shirt.

"Yep. That sounds about right. Are we mental for letting them do all this?"

She shrugged. "They have to have fun sometimes. We can't be super strict. My mum wasn't too hard on me and I turned out all right, I'd say."

He looked stricken. "Your mum."

"What?"

"Go get cleaned up. I'll take care of me and the girls. K-9 and Powell can take care of the kitchen. And be quick, Rose Tyler. We have plans."

"We do? Why didn't you mention it?" she questioned as she started for their room.

"It's a surprise!"

They all got themselves together. The Doctor took both of the girls to his workshop while Rose finished up in their bathroom. He let them both help with the bow on the small gift. The girls laughed and he gave them a daft grin. "Let's go see Nana and Mummy!"

Without mentioning where they were going, he set the TARDIS down at the Powell Estate. Rose stepped out with a big smile. "What are we doing at my mum's? Are you feeling all right?"

"Of course I am. Why?"

"Willingly taking me to my mother's? Who are you and what have you done with my Doctor?"

He chuckled and didn't answer. Upon reaching the flat, Jackie threw open the door with a big smile. She had a party hat on her head and a noisemaker in her mouth.

"Happy birthday, Rose!"

"What? It's my birthday? Seriously?" she smirked as she hugged Jackie. "Doctor, why didn't you tell me it was coming up?"

He stared at her. "I told you. _Surprise_."

They gathered around a small cake in the kitchen. Jackie had a few little things for the girls and a new pair of earrings for Rose that weren't as easy for infants to grab. Then, she told her the big surprise. "Next month, I'm taking the girls for a whole day and night! Alone time for you two. I'll bet you need it."

"That's great, Mum. Thank you so much."

The Doctor cleared his throat. "And we have something for you, don't we girls?"

Both laughed in agreement. He handed over the small package and she opened it. Inside, there was a strange device. She looked to the Doctor for an explanation. He smiled widely. "It's a sonic makeup applicator. Works great on makeup and anything else you need. Hannah gave me the idea. She tried to get into your makeup a few weeks ago. And Sarah helped me build it while you were sleeping."

Throughout this explanation, Jackie was in the process of slicing the cake. The girls seemed to want some, so being the doting grandmother Jackie put a tiny bit in front of them. Seconds later, the food was thrown onto the Doctor's suit and into Rose's clean hair. They glared.

"Sorry…I didn't know they'd do that…" Jackie laughed nervously.

"You got the camera?" Rose asked the Doctor with a wicked grin. "Documented rematch."

"Oh yes. But, I get the girls if you get your mum."

"Please. It's the Tyler women against you. Let's go, ladies!"

By the end of the battle, no one could tell who won and everyone had to help clean the mess.


	5. Chapter 5

"Now, everything you need is in this bag. It's got their food, diapers, toys, story books, copies of the documentaries that'll put them right to sleep but be careful with that 'cause it might do the same to you, and something to help them with their teething. We're going to leave our robot dog here. Just Powell since K-9 was more meant for us instead of the kids. Do you have a cot for them?" Rose spoke almost too quickly for her mother to keep up.

Jackie sighed. "I told you that I do have one seven times now. I'll be fine. I was a mother by myself for years and years. I can take these two. Relax."

The Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS. "They're super babies, Jackie."

"Super babies?" she repeated with a laugh. "Seriously?"

"I told you how ahead they are. They're very good at escaping and shifting about. Make sure that you watch them closely at all times. If you ask, Powell can send of an alert if they get loose. They're usually pretty good, but sometimes they'll get into fights. Hannah can be very possessive."

"Wonder who she gets _that _from," the Doctor called from the box.

"Belt up or I'll spend this time ignoring you!" she warned through a smile. "Anyway, they like to tease each other and grab at things. Sarah particularly likes to tear things apart and build, so keep most complicated devices away from her. If they do _anything_ like talk or walk or what have you, film it and call me. We will come right back. If they get sick, there's medication in the bag. Oh, and they like to be sung to. And—"

Jackie put a hand on her arm. "Shush. It's okay. I have it under control. Go have fun. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rose hugged both of the kids and kissed their foreheads. "Be good girls for Nana, all right? No funny business."

The Doctor came out of the TARDIS to say goodbye to the kids and Jackie. They thanked her again for watching them. Once they closed the doors, they went to the console and set a course for an exciting planet. Rose looked towards the nursery with a sad expression.

"I can't believe we're going to be away from them."

"I know…but they'll be fine."

"Well, yeah. Still, what if they walk or something when we're not there? They're five months old. Growing all the time."

He smiled softly. "Rose, don't worry too much."

"How are you so calm?"

"I'm not. I am a big wibbly-wobbly mess on the inside. But, we need to enjoy our trip. I know! Let's get about an hour of sleep. A little nap. Then, we'll start our adventure. How does that sound?"

She smirked. "Fantastic. I'm exhausted."

They got into bed for their nap. What was supposed to be an hour turned into eight…

Meanwhile at Jackie's, the twins were sleeping peacefully in the cot Jackie borrowed from a neighbor. She smiled at them. "Such angels. They look so much like their father. Bit of Rose here and there. Their eyes are hers. And Sarah has her shape. What do you think?"

"Affirmative," Powell agreed.

She laughed. "What a cute little puppy you are! Come with me, let's make something to eat."

After making a sandwich, she returned to find the twins out of the cot and on her floor. Hannah was flipping through a magazine from Henrik's with some difficultly while Sarah found Jackie's cell phone. She was in the process of taking it apart. Jackie ran to her and got it back, frowning at the fact that in less than fifteen minutes the children had escaped and Sarah had ruined her phone.

"What did you need my phone for? Calling your mummy and daddy?" she wondered as she sat with them.

Sarah laughed and took it back, gathering more parts. Jackie observed the child building a new device. Hannah laughed about something in the magazine. When she glanced over, it was the dos and don'ts of fashion. Out of nowhere, music filled the room. Jackie looked back at Sarah.

"You made a radio?" she asked in amazement.

The girl clapped and fiddled with it until she got a 1950s swing station. Jackie grinned. "We are going to get along just fine, children…"

Rose was the first to wake. She checked the time and gently shook him. "Doctor."

"Hmm?" he mumbled tiredly.

"We've been resting for over eight hours."

He glanced at her. "Really? I'd forgotten what rest feels like."

"I know. It's brilliant. I have an idea. The kids are almost old enough to go on adventures with us. Then, we can run about all the time like we used to. But, right now, we can't _sleep_ anytime we'd like. Why don't we stay in this whole time?"

"Blimey, I'm getting _so_ old."

She laughed at the way he said it. "You are not. Why are you even saying that?"

"Yes. Yes, let's stay here. I'd rather sleep in with you than run about looking for death. That right there says that I'm a senior."

"Well, you aren't eight hundred anymore…"

He grinned widely. "So, are we going to sleep for twenty-four hours or did you have something else in mind?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'll make the daiquiris if you start the bath."

"I'm on it."

He sprung out of bed and started for the kitchen, running back in a hurry. "Don't forget the bubbles!"

"I won't!"

"Or the—"

"Candles, _I know_. We're out of—"

"Bananas because of the children."

"And don't forget—"

"The strawberry on the side of the glass, _I know_. Dear Lord, we're like a married couple. It's terrifying!"

"Oi, I can still hear you!"

Meanwhile, Jackie opened the door of her flat. Her girlfriends were waiting on the other side since she invited them over to meet the grandkids. She motioned them into the living room where the girls were seated on the couch. Her friends started to talk at once about how adorable they were.

Jackie went into the kitchen to make everyone drinks, humming happily. Powell was waiting on her. She put the drinks on his back and he mixed them right up. Just then, she heard a bit of commotion in the next room followed by a panicked call.

"Jackie! Jackie, get in here!"

She took off for the living room and found the twins in the middle of building something. Hannah was handing her sister parts from the remote controls and Sarah was constructing a device. Her friends were in shock and didn't know what to say. Finally, one of them spoke, "Aren't they five months?"

Jackie chuckled with pride. "They're very advanced. They've got clever parents. Brilliant, really. My Rose and her Doctor."

Her friends exchanged impressed looks. "Rose landed a doctor?"

"Not only a Doctor. He's a spaceman too. I guess that you could call him an astronaut of sorts. And have you seen my beautiful grandbabies? _Attractive_ dad. These two girls will be heartbreakers! But, right now they're just breaking everything…"

Sarah finished the device, which was a super transmitter. She pushed a button and they both babbled into it, laughing and cooing. On the TARDIS, Rose and the Doctor were back in bed to enjoy some reading and the quiet. Rose put down her book and listened closely.

"Did you hear that?"

He glanced at her through his brainy specs. "What?"

"Listen. I swear that I can hear the girls."

After a pause, the Doctor pulled a face. "Huh. I hear it too."

"But they're not here."

"Maybe we just miss them."

"I do," she admitted. "I hope they're being good for my mum."

He laughed at that. "No chance."

Once their transmission was finished, Hannah grabbed a woman's earring. Jackie ran to her in a rush. "No, you don't use earrings to hang from!"

Her friend began a battle with the infant. "Ouch! That's my ear!"

"Jackie, the other one took my mp3 player and my cell phone. She's crawled off!"

Jackie got Hannah into her arms and checked the living room. She ran into the kitchen to find Sarah pushing buttons on Powell. Breathing a sigh of relief, she scooped up the baby in her other arm and put them in their cot.

She smiled at her friends. "Well, I don't think they're ready to be around normal people yet. Why don't you lot go home? Lovely having you over. We'll do it again sometime…without the girls."

Her friends ran out of the flat as fast as they could.

Jackie stood over the crib with a smile. "Now I see more of my Rose in you. You're rambunctious beyond words!"

Unfortunately for her, she didn't sleep at all that night. Powell continually woke her with alerts and she had to hunt down the active infants. By morning, every small device in her home had been ruined. The parts went missing and she didn't know where they went.

The rested and happy couple arrived right on time before lunch. Jackie greeted them with a tired but warm smile. "How was your alone time?"

"Great, but we missed them like crazy. Were they too much trouble?" Rose asked as she went straight to her daughters.

"Well, they were a handful. I love spending time with them! I'd like to have them over again, but not too soon. They wrecked my flat. Built a radio and something else last night."

The Doctor spotted a device under the table. He picked it up with a proud grin. "My daughters. Cleverest girls. Rose, we did hear them. They tried to call us on this super transmitter. I'll bet they missed us as much as we missed them. Isn't that something?"

"So that's what they were doing," Jackie laughed. "But, before you get too happy, let me just tell you what that thing took. You owe me three remotes, two cell phones, an mp3 player, two digital clocks, an egg timer, a computer mouse, a couple of torches, a portable vacuum, a stereo, a desk lamp, and a blender. Just to name a few things. Here's the full list…"

She handed over a stapled packet almost five pages long.


	6. Chapter 6

"Six months have gone by so fast," Rose commented as she paced the console room with Hannah in her arms. "I just know that there are some moments that I want to last forever, but that's kind of why they're so great. They're here and gone. Like when Sarah used her first sonic screwdriver or Hannah played with the TARDIS screen."

The Doctor finished the last touches on his devices with a smile. "Yes, Rose. That's the beauty of time. Here and gone, but always remembered. Now, we have our harnesses ready to go! And…where's Sarah?"

"I let her go for a ride on K-9. She should be back any minute."

"Right, well, here they are! They have the same shields as the TARDIS. Our daughters will be safe no matter what adventure we find ourselves on! Oh, this is brilliant. Their first trip as official time travelers! Do we have the bag ready to go?"

Rose motioned to the tiny handbag. "I have forgiven you for passing on so much of your Gallifreyan DNA. Gallifreyan technology is the best! Everything we need is in that tiny space. And it's so light. I'd never know."

"I'm glad you've forgiven me, though I should warn you that you need a new mobile. The children used it to make a remote control rubber ducky this morning. And I might have helped. Maybe."

She frowned. "You're lucky I love you. I just got that phone because they used the last one to make an animated picture book."

"I know, but I couldn't help it. They made me do it. They've mastered your pleading eyes."

"Pleading eyes? What on Earth are you on about?"

He pointed a finger. "Anytime you want to do something and I say no, you give me this look and now _they _do the same thing! I've got no chance in this box. Three women have me completely wrapped around their fingers!"

"Well, it's not my fault that we had little girls. If we had boys, I would be the one complaining about puppy dog eyes."

"I don't do puppy dog eyes."

"You do. You so do."

K-9 appeared with Sarah on his back. He stopped beside the Doctor, pausing so that he could pick the baby up. She laughed and he grinned happily. "There's my Sarah Bear! Are you ready for some fun?"

"Shall we load 'em up?" Rose asked. He gave the signal and they placed their respective babies in the harnesses, allowing them to ride in front. She suppressed a laugh at the Doctor in a suit with a baby strapped to his chest. "That's a very becoming look for you, Doctor. I'd even say that it's cunning."

"Thank you. You look very dangerous yourself, Bad Wolf."

"Come between me and my pups, and we'll have a problem."

They landed in Ancient China during the construction of the Great Wall. At first, things were boring. They wandered through the streets and talked to people about possible adventures. Deciding that it was basically a lost cause, they went to the portion of the wall that was finished to do some sightseeing.

"Hold on a moment. Sarah needs to be changed," the Doctor announced as he stood by the edge.

"You aren't going to change her on the edge of the wall, right?"

"Where else? They don't have changing tables in this time period, you know. Just hand me the bag. I'm a professional. I've gotten the changing time down to thirty-seven seconds."

Rose glared and passed the bag. "If you kill our daughter, I will kill you. And after you regenerate, I'll kill you again. And then again. And again."

"Please, nothing is going to happen."

He set her down on the stone of the wall. The second he did, the entire portion of the wall began to shift. Quickly, he gathered her into his arms and stepped back. After the shifting stopped, he pointed to the rift that was exposed. Rose glanced down it curiously, noting the lights and high tech machines.

"We've found something to do!" she smiled, whacking him in the arm. "And you almost killed Sarah."

"I did not! I had her the entire time. Which reminds me, hold on for a moment. I'll just use the ground."

As he set her down on a specific stone, the ground started to shift. He rolled his eyes. What luck was that? He put Sarah back in the harness and held onto Rose tightly. The stone they were standing on began to shift downwards into the rift. Once it stopped, they looked around at their surroundings.

"It's a spaceship" Rose half asked and half stated.

"Right you are! It's a spaceship. What's it doing in the Great Wall of China?"

Hannah made loud noises and pointed towards something. When they looked, they saw a group of three aliens watching them. The middle one, which appeared to be the leader, stepped forward.

"What are you lot doing on our ship?" it asked harshly.

The Doctor smiled. "Hello to you too. Well, I was just trying to find a spot to change my daughter. Every time I tried, the wall started to move. I'm guess that was a remote entry system for those who knew the right buttons to push. But, obviously it's not working. I didn't know anything. By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I really should take care of Sarah. Here's a table."

He went to the table and the aliens recoiled in disgust. Rose laughed. "It's not _that _bad. You get used to it. Why are you here?"

"We plan to build a giant ship to take over Earth and every planet from here to four systems over. It's our duty in life to conquer."

"Sorry, but are you building the ship to be in the shape of the Great Wall?" Rose wondered as Hannah giggled. "I'm with Hannah on that. That's the worst design I've ever heard. How are you going to fly that thing?"

"That is only the surface view. The wall connects the things beneath. It is like the spine."

The Doctor had finished with Sarah and wandered back over to Rose with a cheeky smirk. "I'd say that they need a back brace, don't you?"

All four of them laughed, causing the aliens to become very upset. "Silence! We will end you for entering our ship."

"No, you won't. We aren't going to let you take over planets. That'd be very rude. We're going to stop you. Surely you've heard of us. That's Rose Tyler and I'm the Doctor. We're legend."

They chuckled at that. "The Doctor? _The _Doctor? With a baby on board? Hardly the way we've heard about you. You've lost your image. We doubt that you'd do anything horrible in front of your children. Surely, you've lost your harshness as well."

"Image, certainly. Harshness, maybe a bit. However, I strongly suggest that you don't underestimate me or my family. You wouldn't want to mess with a mother and her children. And not just any children. They're the last of Gallifrey."

The aliens exchanged looks, apparently considering his words. Hannah babbled at her sister, and Sarah reached into the breast pocket of her father's suit. Before he could stop her, Sarah handed the sonic screwdriver over to Hannah. She pointed it at a console and mashed the button. Sparks flew and all of the lights burned out.

"She just tampered with the wireless control panel by effectively jamming the signal with a comparable frequency at a higher revolution. She's temporarily cut the power!" the Doctor exclaimed with a proud expression. "That's my girls. Teamwork."

"STOP THEM!" the lead alien demanded.

The Doctor took Rose by the hand and they started to run through the hallways of the ship. They took a sudden left into what looked like an engine room. The Doctor went straight to a strangely shaped fixture in the center of the room. He hit a few buttons just as the power came back.

"What's the plan?" Rose inquired as she took the sonic screwdriver back from Hannah. She had carried it the entire way.

"Overload the engine. It'll destroy the entire ship. There's no way that they could fix it."

"Won't that destroy the Great Wall?"

"Well, yes. Part of it. But, there will be repairs in just a few centuries. No sense arguing with history."

The Doctor continued to work on part of the engine while little Sarah pulled a few levers. He looked down and laughed joyously. Rose smiled fondly at the exchange. "What's all that then?"

"Sarah just inverted the flow of energy from the output filter to the input filter. She's helping me along. We're almost there. Now, if I could just find the communication system—"

"You mean the big box on the wall?" Rose questioned. "Hannah's pointing at it."

"Yes! That's it. Rose, go hit the button and tell the aliens to surrender or they blow up with their ship."

Rose went to it and Hannah mashed the button. "Aliens, please surrender or we'll have to blow you up with the ship."

"Never!" the aliens responded.

Frowning, Rose took Hannah's hand. "Well, looks like your first adventure doesn't end like your storybooks."

Understanding the situation, Hannah made a sad sound and Sarah joined her. Sarah tugged on the last lever, causing the entire engine room to light up. The Doctor smiled widely. "That's it. We're done. We have exactly two minutes to get out. If we could just find the exit…"

They both looked at Hannah who was pointing down a hallway. Shrugging, they listened to her and ran hand in hand down the corridor. Sure enough, there was a door leading to the outside. They went out into the moat and crossed back into the tiny village nearby. After a pause, the entire ground shook and part of the wall was reduced to rubble. The girls cooed excitedly.

"Some first trip," Rose commented with a smirk. "These two are incredible."

"They are _our_ children. I say that we get Chinese food!"

"I'm not sure. This century doesn't have the same kind of Chinese food I like to eat. I'd be worried about catching something…"

He looked at her intently. "_Please_?"

"You're doing the puppy dog eyes. Right there."

"I am not."

"Are too."

"Am not," he answered with another glance.

She pointed with a laugh. "Did it again."

"If they were puppy dog eyes, they'd be working."

"Who says they aren't? I saw this little shop on the way over. Plenty of food. Just don't tell me what it is I'm eating. I'd rather not know."

With a triumphant grin, he took her arm and the family wandered into town for some lunch.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ladies and gentleman, presenting the TARDIS puppet theatre!" Rose announced in a deep voice, mocking applause and cheers shortly after.

They were both lying on their stomachs behind K-9. The robot dog served as their stage and the girls were seated on the other side in the nursery. Both seven month olds laughed and clapped their hands in excitement. The Doctor went first, holding up Mr. Teddy and the Ood.

"What a great day for adventure! Wouldn't you agree, Ood one alpha one?" Mr. Teddy inquired.

"Yes! I do concur! But where is Miss Teddy and Hath?"

Rose popped up on cue with her two plush toys. "Right here!" Miss Teddy announced.

"Blublublubblub," the Hath seconded.

"Shall we go find some fun?" Ood one alpha one suggested.

"Yes!" Miss Teddy cheered.

The toys walked back and forth across K-9's back to the amusement of Hannah and Sarah. However, they were interrupted when Hannah came over and snatched Miss Teddy. Rose let go with a long, "_Noooooo_! Miss Teddy!"

He suppressed a laugh, regaining character as Mr. Teddy quickly after. "No, Miss Teddy! My love! What has this universe come to?!"

Rose got a serious expression and tugged on the sleeve of his suit. "Doctor."

"_Rose_, you can't break character! This is the theatre!"

"No, Doctor. Look at Hannah."

Raising on his elbows, he was met with Hannah at eye level. He sunk back down. "What?"

"She's standing up."

"So?"

"Did you see her pull herself up on K-9?"

"I didn't. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

In unison, they slowly got onto all fours and took a closer look. She was standing up. Hannah gave them both confused looks and then went back to petting Miss Teddy. They exchanged glances and waited to see if their suspicions were correct. As if it weren't difficult at all, the seven month old walked back to her sister and sat down.

"Did she…?" Rose stuttered.

"Yep."

"Just now?"

"Yep."

"Her first steps! And we didn't record them! Mum will kill me."

Rose leapt up and started for the door. The Doctor looked at her sadly. "We haven't finished our show!"

"Keep going. You'll be fine. I have to get the camera."

Reluctantly, he continued on with the theatrics while she grabbed the camera and returned. She left it rolling and rejoined the show as the Hath. Midway through, they heard movement and quickly popped up. Sarah and Hannah were both standing and fighting over Miss Teddy. Chuckling, the Doctor held out Mr. Teddy.

"There's this one too, you know."

Sarah looked over and easily walked to the teddy bear. She took it and embraced it tightly. Not wanting to be left out, Hannah wandered to her parents as well. Rose had to sit on K-9 to take it all in. The Doctor kept smiling like an idiot.

"They're growing up so fast, Doctor."

"I know. It's brilliant. Now, they can run beside us instead of being strapped in! Finally, we can lose the harnesses. I hate those harnesses. They're so heavy."

"Oi, I had to carry them _both_ in me. You can handle one on you for a day. They can't run about on their own. If you really can't handle it, we'll need something else to strap them into. Or a leash."

He scoffed at that. "I'm not putting a leash on either of my daughters. That's just degrading."

"But they won't do what we ask them to do. They'll run about even if we tell them to stay put."

"If that warrants a leash, I should have put one on you ages ago."

She glared at him. "Do you want to sleep on the couch in the movie room tonight?"

"You wouldn't really banish me to the movie room."

"Oh, I wouldn't? Are you _sure_ about that, Doctor?"

Their attention shifted when they heard one of the twins shriek. Sarah was chasing Hannah around the room in circles. Hannah scaled her cot and threw Miss Teddy at Sarah. Sarah began to cry while Hannah laughed and made faces, including one with her tongue poking out. Rose went to Sarah and the Doctor picked up Hannah.

"Hannah Rosaline Tyler, you do not throw things at your sister."

"Sarah Jaclyn Tyler, you do not chase your sister," Rose seconded.

Both children fought to get down. When they set them down, both kids ran from the nursery in another chase. The Doctor sighed heavily. "Well, they like to run."

"Not surprising. It's all we ever do."

"Allons-y, Rose. We have children to catch."

They split up and began to search the entire TARDIS. The Doctor started in the console room and didn't find anything. He moved to their bedroom and again it was empty. After that, he checked the kitchen, library, and a few spare rooms. He huffed. "I hope Rose is having better luck."

She was in the process of climbing under bushes in the garden. When she was walking by, she heard laughter inside. As she stood up, she picked leaves from her hair and a flower petal from her mouth. "I know you're in here. One of you. Come on out."

The laughter continued mockingly.

Groaning, she kept searching in flowerbeds and around large plants. The laughter was getting louder. Finally, she could hear it like she was on top of them. When she looked down, she discovered Powell the puppy. The laughter was coming through his voice box. She picked up the small robot curiously, discovering the panel ajar. They had tampered with him.

"Why did you have to be as smart as your dad? He better have found you."

The Doctor was in the movie room, pulling back the screen. He lifted couch cushions and bent to look under tables. He found Miss Teddy, but no twins. Scowling, he shoved it into a pocket and kept searching every inch of the room. Next, he found Mr. Teddy. He was growing very irritated.

"Why did you have to tease me like your mum?"

"What about my teasing?" Rose asked as she joined him in the room.

He held up the bear. "They were in here at some point."

Rose held out the robot. "They used this to project their laughter in the garden."

"Did they?" he questioned as he took it from her. After an inspection, he grinned. "What masterful work! One of them has tampered with Powell's sound system. They're transmitting. But, what they don't know is that I can track the signal!"

He removed his sonic screwdriver and fiddled with it. Rose smirked. "I tease you?

"Yes."

"Not that much."

"Only all the time."

"That's not fair."

"Fair or not, it's true. You and that tongue. Always poking out. Not that I'm complaining. Aha! We have a trace!"

He led the way and they followed the beeping screwdriver towards his workshop. Once they got there, they found a homemade walkie-talkie. Clearly, it was built by their daughters. However, they were gone and so were their mini sonic screwdrivers that the Doctor planned to give them when they were a bit older. He gawked.

"Have we just been outsmarted by seven month olds?"

"Yep. And they're armed. How'd they even get up that high?"

"No idea. Remember how you said that our children might get the best parts of both of us?"

Rose thought back and nodded. "Yeah, I did say that."

"Well, they did. Maybe too much of the good. They could be anywhere. Think. Where would we go if we were infant girls?"

They thought about it for a long time. Rose snapped her fingers. "I think I might know. When I was little, I like to play with my mother's things. Did you check the bedroom?"

"Yes. I did. Though, they obviously are running all about. They could have gone back."

As quickly as possible, they ran to their bedroom. He checked the loo and she looked under everything. He even started opening drawers. They sat on the bed, defeated.

"Not here," he sighed. "Blimey, they just skipped over the stumbling about like a drunkard phase. They've gone straight from crawling to running like Olympians. You're right. They're not ready to be outside of the harness. If we can't even find them here, how could we find them on an alien planet?"

"My point exactly. They have to be around here somewhere. Did we check everywhere?"

"Every inch of the bathroom, under the bed, under the tables, in drawers, under chairs, behind chairs, behind furniture…"

"Wait," Rose stopped him. "I said that I liked to play with my mother's things. But, what I really liked was my mother's clothes."

He had to think for a minute. "Ah! Wardrobe room."

She grinned with her tongue peeking out. "Uh-huh. Now you're getting it. Took you long enough."

"Right there! Teasing me. I see your tongue."

"I'm not teasing you every time you see my tongue."

"Well, that _is_ true…"

Blushing impressively, she went into the massive wardrobe room with the Doctor in tow. They climbed the spiral staircase and kept an eye out for the twins. He grabbed her by the waist and shushed her. They watched a pile of clothes shifting about. Silently, they crept over to the pile and started to peel away the layers. In the center, their twins guiltily looked up at their parents.

"There you are! You can't do that," the Doctor informed them in a serious voice.

They each picked up one, but they had to choke back a laugh. The twins had attempted to dress themselves in the adult clothes. He smiled at the baby in his arms, which was wrapped in a scarf from his past regeneration and one of Rose's knit caps. The other was in one of Rose's shirts and was gnawing on a neck tie.

"I think that they bring a whole new meaning to the word _adorable_…" she chuckled.

"I would agree. Let's get them back into their room. C'mon, Hannah Banana."

"Doctor…that's Sarah."

He paused and looked closely. "Are you positive?"

"Yeah. Of course I am."

Carefully, he lifted the scarf and checked the child's jumper. "Huh. This is Sarah."

"I told you. What would you do without me?"

"I don't ever want to find out."


	8. Chapter 8

"You're going to be fine for one evening. I did all right when I was alone with them all day," Rose promised as she gathered a few things.

The Doctor was pacing in their bedroom. "But they were younger back then. They're _eight months_, Rose. And they're acting like toddlers. It's two against one."

"What am I supposed to do, Doctor? Mum needs surgery."

"_On her pinky_. They just have to rearrange a few bones and slap a cast on it. It's her fault for slamming the door on herself."

She zipped her bag with a glare. "But it's still my mother. She doesn't react well to strong pain medications. Someone has to watch her."

"Someone has to watch _me_."

"You're a great dad. Besides, you have to learn how to handle them in case I'm not here. No using the time machine to speed things up either, Doctor. I'll know. I wrote down a list for you. Everything you need to do, where things are, what to do if something happens, and emergency contacts. If you can't reach me, Pablo the waiter is very helpful. We're talking about a play date sometime soon. His youngest just turned two and he's got a fifth kid due any day. Lovely chap. He knows everything about weird situations. I called him last week when Hannah locked herself in the dishwasher and it wouldn't open."

The Doctor looked at her strangely. "Hannah did what?"

"You were still in the fifteenth century with Sarah, remember? You weren't finished chasing that murderous race of crustaceans about and Hannah was getting too fussy. I had to bring her home."

"Oh, that's right. What if they do that again?"

"Don't worry. That's on the list. Now, take a lot of deep breaths and remain calm. If you can save the universe, you can handle two babies. Just remember this: if you kill or maim our daughters…the Bad Wolf will rip you into teeny tiny pieces, yeah? I love you."

She gave him a quick kiss and said farewell to the girls. He watched her leave with a nervous expression. The TARDIS was set to drift and he went into the kitchen where the seven page list was waiting on him. He read the brief instructions and nodded.

"I can handle this. That's not too bad. I've got K-9 and Powell on my side. We'll be fine. Totally fine. Now, what's first? Ah, feeding time it is!"

He wandered into the nursery where both girls were standing in their cots. They stared at him and he grinned. "Hello, girls. It's time to eat."

Taking one in each arm, they returned to the kitchen and got them ready for dinner. At first, things were going well. He was beginning to gain confidence. Just as he thought that he could handle anything, Hannah attempted to wash her clothes by rubbing a spoon of baby food on herself and Sarah began to sob. He comforted Sarah, as she was teething something awful again, and then decided it was bath time.

Taking them back to their room, he gingerly removed Hannah's jumper and turned around to add it to the laundry. As soon as he did, he turned back to find Sarah's jumper tossed aside and both girls chasing each other. He started to fluster since he depended on their clothing to tell them apart. Even after eight months, he still hadn't adopted Rose's gift for easily knowing who was who.

"Okay, so I just have to look for which baby has food on her. That's it."

Both were messy eaters and had some food on them somewhere.

"Maybe if I ask them, one will answer. Which one of you is Hannah?"

The babies stopped running about and looked at him curiously. In unison, they pointed at each other. He groaned at their games and attempted to channel his inner Rose Tyler. Examining them both, he tried to decide which one looked more like her. She was always saying that Sarah had her face. Finally, he made his decision and picked one up.

"You're Sarah, aren't you?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay, so you're Hannah then."

She did it again.

"You have to be one or the other. I don't remember ordering another eight month old or picking one up from the shops. If you tell me the truth, I'll buy you a new toy. How's that? Bribery? Will that work? I say that you're Sarah. You look like your mum."

Slowly, the child smiled and clapped her hands.

"Finally! I did it! I could tell them apart! Oh, and Rose isn't here to see it. I'll tell her about it," he went to put her down and stopped himself. He didn't trust that he could do it again, so he had to come up with another way. Clothes could come off and they did need a bath, so he did what any sensible father would do. "Permanent marker. It'll wash off eventually."

Marking her forehead with a big _S_ and set her down. Hannah found the entire thing amusing and came toddling over for her turn. Though it wasn't necessary to put a letter on her head, she grabbed at his pant leg for the body art. Shrugging, he added an _H_ to her and led them both to the bath. That went smoothly and he had to grin. Things were going just fine, he thought.

The children were done with their bath and in their jimjams. He told them to wait in the nursery while he grabbed a new storybook from the library. Instead of their usual children's stories, he wanted to read something more adult just for educational purposes. On his way back, he paused by one of the spare bedrooms. K-9 usually stayed there when he wasn't needed, but the robot was missing. As he kept walking back, Powell was no longer in the kitchen by the high chairs.

"Where'd they go?" he wondered as he entered the nursery. "All right, girls. We have a new book tonight…"

They were gone.

"Of course. I should have tied them to the rocker. Too much Tyler tenaciousness in them. Girls! Where are you?"

Their laughter mocked him. He followed it right into the bedroom. It was coming from the loo, but the door was locked. He attempted to get it open, but it wouldn't budge. Smirking smugly, he reached into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver. It was gone. They must have pickpocketed it while he carried them from their bath.

"Are you in here?" he asked as he jiggled the lock. They giggled. "Right, well I'm going to get in there."

The mini sonic screwdrivers were lifted a month ago and Rose's sonic makeup brush was with her, so he went into his workshop to see what else he could use. He put together a crude sonic device and went back to the bathroom. When he tried it, the lock didn't budge. Checking the readings, he frowned at the brilliant children.

"Deadlock seal. How did they do that? Wait, the dogs are missing! They must have used those and the sonic screwdrivers to create it. Oh, that's brilliant! I love how smart you are! And I really don't like it. How am I supposed to get in there?"

Quickly, he went to the list in the kitchen. He thumbed through the first few pages to get to the situation solutions.

"Let's see: locked in the dishwasher, swallowed something they shouldn't, destroyed small necessary devices, fiddled with the TARDIS controls, locked in the laundry, climbed refrigerator and won't come down, ate a flower, tried to swim, locked in a cabinet, dangled from projection screen, tangled in cords under the console, caught in the sleeve of a coat, and bit their sister and won't let go…" he paused and read the other half of the list. "Locked in the bathroom is not on here. Well, I can think of something on my own!"

He decided that all he had to do was pick the lock, so he collected a few things to try to get into it. When he knelt in front of it, he had to scowl. K-9 had a defensive mode that included lasers. Somehow, the girls tapped into that ability and had the keyhole welded shut. He put a hand to his forehead. Obviously, they wanted their alone time and the only way he'd get inside was to tear down the door.

Upon gathering his various tools, he set to work on the door. The hinges weren't coming off. They had melted together like the keyhole. So, he began to chip away at the door a little bit at a time. He started at the top to be sure that the girls weren't in the way. After almost forty minutes, he had a hunk of door in his hand. He stood on his toes to look inside.

"What are you two doing?" he asked them curiously.

The babies looked up from their place in the bath. They were surrounded by Rose's makeup. Hannah had put on almost all of it while Sarah only put on some of it and seemed to be fiddling with one of Rose's hair contraptions. Both K-9 and Powell had their panels opened and didn't look well. The Doctor's heart sunk when he saw his sonic screwdriver jammed in the toilet.

"Well, good thing it's waterproof."

Sarah flushed it down and it became wedged in the pipe.

"No worries. I'll make a new one. Girls, I'm coming in here. Just know that you are in timeout when I do get to you. This is not a way to behave."

One hour and thirty minutes later, there was a Doctor-sized hole in the door. He squeezed through it and found both of his daughters fast asleep. They were cuddled together in the tub, clutching their sonic screwdrivers to their chests. All threats of timeout were forgotten. He searched his pockets for the camera and snapped a picture to show Rose when she got home.

Instead of cleaning up the mess right away, he planned to wait until the girls were in their room. Gently, he carried them to their respective places and managed to wipe most of the makeup from their faces. It was almost time for Rose to come back, so he landed at the Powell Estate and tiredly sat down on the bed. Seconds later, the nursery door opened and his girls walked over to him. They hugged his legs and he grinned.

"Oh, all right. Let's take a rest, but no more locking your dad out. Mummy will be home very soon and she won't be happy about what you did."

The three of them got onto the bed for a nap. With one girl on either side of him, he fell asleep and they joined in. Rose opened the TARDIS doors quietly sometime later, having successfully seen her mother through the evening. She went to their bedroom and smiled at the sight of her Time Lord and Time Ladies. After that, she scowled.

Shreds of door were all throughout the room, both robot dogs were in ruins, her makeup was everywhere, her curling iron was torn apart, the loo was clogged with something, and the babies were in makeup and had permanent marker on their heads.

She had to laugh. Silently, she joined them on the bed and pressed a kiss to all of their foreheads. In the morning, she'd talk to him about writing on their children and breaking down doorways. But, for now, she just wanted to take in the quiet.


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you think that we're being too harsh?" the Doctor questioned as he stole a handful of alien popcorn from Rose's bucket.

"Na. It's about time they learned that they can't do whatever they'd like. They won't understand that unless we show them the consequences of their actions. Even if they are only nine months old."

Hannah and Sarah were both on leashes and tied to a tree-like plant. Rose and the Doctor were seated on a bench nearby with popcorn and drinks, enjoying the wonderful day on the faraway planet. They had just defeated a scheme to use humans as livestock and decided to relax. The girls were brilliant with the adventure. It was only afterwards that they decided to throw the Doctor's glasses into a pond filled with acid and use Rose's jeans as a canvas for their mud painting.

"I have to say that leashes were a great idea. Although it is very degrading, these two need it."

Rose smiled cheekily. "So, I was right."

"Well, this popcorn is delicious…" he hummed casually, though Rose wasn't it buying it.

"Changing the subject, Doctor…"

He sent a glare in her direction. "Yes, fine, you were right. There. I said it. Still, brilliant popcorn."

"It is. I wonder what it's made from. Wait, don't answer that. I'm happy pretending it's normal popcorn with a really great taste."

The Doctor heard one of the leashes rattling and looked over. Sarah was attempting to get out, so he pointed his new sonic at the leash which effectively kept it locked in place. She started to cry and Hannah joined in. He sent a faltering glance at Rose.

"No. It's only been eight minutes. We told them it would be a five minute timeout. Then, they refused to stay in place so we had to make it a _ten_ minute timeout and tie them to a tree. Great thinking, by the way."

"Thank you. I'm very resourceful. _Rose_, it's hard to watch them like that. You know that I don't do well when they look at me sadly. It's like when you look at me sadly. I just can't take it. You've ruined my hearts, you know. They just give in so easily these days. I used to be a force to be reckoned with."

She laughed slightly. "You still are. Just not with your family."

"Huh, that is true. Stop hogging the popcorn."

"I bought it. It's my popcorn. You're stealing it."

"I am not."

"Yes, you really are. If you like it so much, go get some and I'll watch the girls."

He frowned at the thought. "Tastes better if it's stolen."

"I knew it! Thief. Do you want a timeout too? I will make you stand with the girls."

"Will you tie me up?"

"Ask me when we aren't in public. Okay, ten minutes is up. Let's go talk to them."

"You do the talking. I'll undo the leashes. I don't think that I can handle reprimanding them just yet. Every time I try, they bat their eyelashes and I turn into a wibbly-wobbly ball of a Time Lord…" he sighed deeply.

They stood up and wandered over to the crying infants. She got down in front of them with a stern expression. "Have you learned your lesson, girls?"

Slowly, the babies nodded in understanding.

"We don't take people's things and destroy them. Well, only if it's really necessary to save the world. And we don't ruin people's clothing. It's very rude. You can't do anything you'd like because there's a proper way to act. I know that's hard for you to understand because it's hard for your dad too."

The Doctor scowled. "Hey, don't bring me into this! I'm much better than I used to be."

"_Much_ might be pushing it."

"I'm not the one in timeout right now, Rose Tyler. You talk to our daughters about their actions. However, I don't mind being reprimanded later on…"

She turned red as he winked. "I can't believe you just said that. Anyway, as long as you're half human, you need to know about social rules and all that. Okay, girls? Do you hear what I'm saying?"

Again, they nodded and Rose smiled.

"Good. Now, do you know where we're going?"

"We're going home," the Doctor announced happily as he joined Rose.

The babies exchanged looks and spoke in unison, "TARDIS."

Rose gasped and the Doctor dropped the leashes. "They just spoke," she stammered in disbelief. "They're first word. They know what we call home."

"It's so fitting," the Doctor agreed with a daft grin. "They're talking. Our daughters are _talking_."

After each taking a leash, they wandered back to their blue box to get ready for some much needed sleep. Once they got inside, Rose had to ask. "Do you know where we are, girls?"

"TARDIS!" they shouted together, clapping their hands excitedly at their first word.

"That's right," Rose nodded with pride. Her girls were so smart.

He had to see something. "Hannah, Sarah—let me ask you a question. What does TARDIS stand for?"

"Time and relative dimension in space," they quickly replied.

Rose put a hand to her mouth. "They didn't."

"Oh, they did. Brilliant job! I'm not sure how they learned that, but it is something. I'll bet that they can say much more than they're letting on. It's like with their walking and crawling. They skip over the stumbling phase and go right to proficiency. I know that they understand everything we say and do, so the words are already in their brains. Now that they have discovered how to speak, there will be no stopping them. Fantastic!"

"That does sound like them. We'll have to wait and see…" Rose shrugged as she scooped up Hannah and started for the kitchen.

They had dinner and a bath. After that, they were put to bed and the couple spent some much needed alone time. Rose fell asleep first and the Doctor stayed awake for some time to himself. He dug out an old pair of brainy specs and began to read in bed. About an hour into his book, the room fell silent. The grainy transmission through the baby monitor was cut. He didn't want to wake or worry Rose, so he carefully padded to the nursery.

Digging around the pockets of his jimjams, he found his stethoscope and held it to the doorframe. Listening, he couldn't believe what he heard.

"_Mine_, Sarah."

"No."

"Gimmie."

"_No_."

"Why?"

"Working."

"Stop it!"

"No!"

"Cry for Mummy and Daddy?"

"Don't, Hannah!"

"Then gimmie!"

Slowly, the Doctor backed away and then darted into the bedroom. He leapt onto the bed and shook her with both hands. "Rose, Rose, _Rose_, Rose, _Rose Tyler_, Rose, _Roooose_!"

"What?" she mumbled thickly. "Surely to God you don't have energy for another go. Maybe in thirty minutes."

"Really? I could definitely go for—stop with your distractions! Our girls are having a conversation."

She sat right up. "A whole conversation?"

"Go listen," he smirked as he passed his stethoscope.

With stealth, she went to the nursery door and listened closely.

"Hannah, stop."

"No."

"Working!"

"Playing!"

"Stop and help."

"Why?"

"Sisters."

"Oh, okay…"

Rose pulled back with a smile. The Doctor quietly got next to her and whispered softly, "They cut the baby monitor feed. They don't want us to hear them."

"Want to surprise them?"

"Oh yes."

He opened the door and they walked in on Sarah and Hannah fiddling with one of their electronic toys. They each had their mini sonic screwdrivers and were pulling at parts. Instantly stopping, they looked up at their parents with wide eyes. It was like seeing deer in the headlights.

"We heard you," the Doctor informed them. "It's all right to talk to us. We don't mind. We'd like it, actually."

Hannah smiled widely. "Didn't want to."

"Want to talk to us?" Rose frowned.

Sarah shook her head no. "Wake you."

"Rude," Hannah agreed.

Rose couldn't believe any of it. Her talk had worked and her nine month olds were speaking like toddlers. The Doctor sat on the floor with them and inspected their work.

"I see what you're doing. Can I help?"

"Not sleepy?" Sarah asked him curiously.

He laughed. "No, I'm not. And I see that neither is the pair of you. Why don't we finish this up before we all try to get some rest?"

Hannah pointed at Rose. "Mummy help?"

"Sure. I'd love to."

She joined her Gallifreyans on the floor and they got to work on the toy. An hour so later, the toy upgrade was completed. They played for a bit and then tucked the twins into their cots. The Doctor fixed the monitor and then joined Rose in the doorway.

"Goodnight, girls. Do get some sleep," he told them seriously.

"Night," they returned in unison.

Rose and the Doctor got back into bed and stayed silent for a few long moments.

"They're not babies anymore. They're people. Little people. Talking, walking, thinking people. Unbelievably smart people. Nine month old people," Rose commented in amazement. "Doctor, they're growing faster than they should. Aren't parents supposed to get a year to have little kids? Just kids. Not building new toys from spare parts and conversing with adults."

"They still are babies, Rose. They're only clever babies. No, _super_ babies."

"Exactly. Look at how mature they are. They're going to grow up and run off like I did. Maybe even sooner than I did. Find some boy, leave home for him, get her heart broken, have to come back unhappily and never hear the end of her bad decisions and lack of A-levels…"

He smirked. "C'mon, Rose. They are a lot like you, but they aren't reliving your life. They mightn't want to leave home. They might want to stay here forever. Bring aboard some lucky gentlemen and start families here with us."

"Do you think so?"

"Well, anything can happen. We have plenty of time before we find out. I think that we should just enjoy watching them grow up for now. And keep them away from anyone whose last name is Stone. Or anything similar. Like Rock. Or Pebble. Or Boulder. Or Marble. Or Granite."

"Or any name that starts with the letter _J_."

"Quite right. That too. Or anyone named Mickey or Ricky or anything Smith…"

Rose sent him an annoyed glance. "He wasn't _that_ bad."

"He was your boyfriend and I wasn't. That makes him bad. Any idiots are off limits. If someone tries to take my girls away from me, they have to be a genius and a gentleman."

"You've just eliminated every man in the universe then."

The Doctor grinned widely. "That's the point, isn't it? Goodnight, Rose."

"Night, Doctor."

They attempted to get some sleep, but it was only moments later when the crying started.

"Mummy!" one sobbed.

"Daddy!" the other cried.

Exchanging tired glances, they got out of bed and went into the nursery. Maybe growing up wouldn't be a terrible thing, Rose thought. Maybe then she could get some sleep…


	10. Chapter 10

"You two need to take a nap. We've played long enough," Rose told the children sternly as she placed them in their cots. "One hour. That's all I'm asking, yeah?"

The twins exchanged looks and said together, "Okay."

"Good. Mummy and Daddy will be just down the hall, so we'll hear any funny business. Get some rest. I love you, girls."

She left them to their nursery and tiredly went into the kitchen where the Doctor was chopping vegetables. He glanced at her through his new, yet very similar, brainy specs with a smile. "There's Rose Tyler. I got you an apron! Are you prepared for your chef lesson?"

"Yes. Finally some adult time. Those two are the light of my life, but if I had to read that book about Tunergefta the happy cyborg one more time I was about to go mad."

He chuckled lightly. "I had to read that to them seventeen times last night. _Seventeen_. They're completely fascinated with it. Oh, the water is boiling! Cooking time!"

Meanwhile, in the nursery, the twins stood up in their cots. Sarah pointed at the door and Hannah nodded, putting a finger to her mouth. Stealthily, they pulled themselves onto and over the wall of their cribs. After they landed gracefully on the floor, they walked up to the door. Hannah tried to reach the handle, but she wasn't tall enough.

"Lift," she whispered to her sister.

Sarah got down on all fours so that Hannah could use her as a stepping stool. They got the door open and tiptoed into the hallway. Pots and pans were banging around and Rose was laughing. That gave them the cover noise to shut the door and carefully go to the console room.

Once there, they looked up at the screen with a frown.

"High," Sarah commented gravely. "How?"

"Powell?" Hannah suggested.

Sarah smiled. "Brilliant."

"Yep."

Hannah called in Powell on their secret frequency, the one their parents didn't know about. The robot puppy gave Sarah a boost. She was able to grab onto a few levers and buttons without changing anything. Once up there, she started to play with the screen. Hannah didn't want to be left out, so she also stood on Powell and scaled the console. Sarah was poking around on the screen curiously.

"That one?" she asked Hannah in a whisper.

"Yeah. Set it."

Quickly, Sarah mashed a few things. Hannah then helped her crawl around the console, pushing and pulling on the various controls. They worked together to pull the last large lever, which caused the TARDIS to travel in space and time. The entire box started to shift about dramatically. Both of the children laughed and held onto different parts of the console to keep from falling over.

In the kitchen, food started to go everywhere and the Doctor dropped his spoon. He ran for the front and Rose rapidly followed. When they got to the console room, they both had to pause and gape in awe. The girls waved from the console with wide smiles and Powell excitedly moved in a circle.

"Doctor, I think that our ten month olds just piloted the TARDIS…" Rose spoke slowly.

He went to the screen and nodded in confirmation. "They did."

"They can read Gallifreyan and work the console? That's more than I can do and I've been here for years."

"It's just natural in Time Ladies, Rose. I didn't exactly _learn_. I just _knew_. Kind of like the TARDIS is _grown_ and not _built_. It merely is what it is. I'm more concerned about the fact that our daughters just hijacked our ship."

Rose joined him at the console and sent a glance at the little ones perched atop it. "Where are they taking us?"

"Roboai Delta 37.8, it seems."

She thought about it. "Wait, that's the home planet from—"

"Tunergefta!" they both cheered.

"The happy cyborg," the Doctor added with a frown. "Girls, that's only a story. There is no Tunergefta and most cyborgs aren't overly happy. They don't have human rights. It's a messy situation."

"We know," Sarah answered simply.

"It's a book," Hannah agreed.

Rose looked at them strangely. "Okay, well, why are we going to Roboai Delta 37.8 then?"

"Adventure with cyborgs!" Hannah laughed and clapped her hands.

"Allons-y!" Sarah exclaimed.

The Doctor melted. "Did you hear that, Rose? How impressive are they!"

"Doctor," she began, knowing what he was thinking, "We really shouldn't go on this adventure. They didn't nap like I asked them and then they stole our ship. Wouldn't it be sending a bad message to do this? What if they make a habit of stealing the TARDIS? Imagine how that'll be in ten years. We'd have no control."

He turned to the girls. "Do you know what you did is wrong?"

"Yes," they admitted guiltily.

"What'll you do next time you want to go somewhere?" he continued.

"Ask first," Sarah answered.

"No stealing," Hannah agreed.

Clapping his hands together, he looked at Rose. "See? There we go. All settled. How about that adventure?"

"I don't know…" she sighed reluctantly.

After whispering something to the twins, the Doctor put his hands together in a pleading motion. The girls followed suit and all three asked in unison, "_Please, Mummy_?"

"Oi, now who doesn't have a chance in this box? Fine, we'll go. But they better ask next time."

The babies laughed excitedly. "Promise!"

Upon getting everything ready to go, the time travelers and their leashed daughters exited the TARDIS to begin their adventure. As it turned out, the ten month olds were skillful pilots. They landed right in the middle of a cyborg encampment, specifically in the middle of an important meeting.

"We take them at dawn," the cyborg leader informed his troops. "The humans will no longer control us and use us as cheap workers! We are just as human as they are!"

The cyborgs cheered in agreement while the Doctor and Rose exchanged looks from the back of the room.

"What do we do? I mean, they deserve their rights but we can't help them win a war…" Rose whispered gravely.

"No, we can't do that. But, we can free them from this place. Where are we exactly? Obviously, it's some place of employment. Much too drab to be something upscale. Perhaps some kind of factory or something of the like…"

The infants tugged on his pant legs. "Timber."

Slowly, he looked out of a window and saw stacks and stacks of timber. Many scowling cyborgs were using their super strength to carry and work the wood. They appeared to be inside of their sleeping quarters. He smiled at Rose excitedly. "Well, there it is. Good work, girls."

"Who's there?" the leader inquired. He was a short alien with a metallic arm, and he looked oddly familiar.

All of the cyborgs turned their attention to the strange invaders and their blue box, awaiting explanation.

"Right. Hello. I have proper documentation, of course…" the Doctor went to the front with Hannah at his side. He flashed his psychic paper with confidence. "As you can see, we are friends to you."

"Best mates," Hannah agreed with a smile.

The leader nodded. "So, you are the head of the trade union. You have come to fight for our rights."

"Yes, that's exactly it. I'm the Doctor."

"I'm Tunergefta," the leader responded.

Both girls squealed excitedly and their parents had to shush them. Rose had reached the front with Sarah and grinned nervously. "Nice to meet you. Don't mind them. They're just kids."

"Your kids?" Tunergefta asked suspiciously. "What kind of person brings their children to a place like this?"

"It was their idea, thank you. Their names are Sarah and Hannah, by the way. And their mum is named Rose. Now, we are going to get you out of this place. How's that sound?"

There were whispers and Tunergefta silenced them. "You can do that? You can free us from the timberyard?"

"We can do anything," Rose answered assuredly. "What's the plan, Doctor?"

"I would say fit the whole lot in our TARDIS and take them away, but we would have to round everyone up first. They'd be onto us. We have to do this discreetly. Maybe make a path while they quietly get everyone inside. What's the situation like out there, Tunergefta? Exits and walls?"

"There's a tall wall going around the entire yard. Guarded. We have been sold to this company as their workers for the rest of our lives. They make sure of it. Security is everywhere."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully. "Are you sure that it's everywhere?"

"Fairly certain, yes."

Sarah tugged on the adventure bag Rose had packed. She set it down and allowed the child to dig through it. She held up Rose's sonic makeup applicator. The Doctor looked at it and grinned elatedly. "Oh that's brilliant, Sarah! I know exactly what we can do. But first, Tunergefta, I need to use the loo."

Confusedly, the leader pointed to the tiny bathroom in the back. The Doctor put on his glasses and examined it, bleeping about with his sonic screwdriver. Rose had followed him and stood with the kids, waiting to see what he would say.

"No security in the pipes! All we have to do is remove the toilet and their path is clear. It'll take ages to undo the screws alone, so I need everyone to get out their sonic devices and point at the toilet."

After they had their sonic devices at the ready, all four travelers had the toilet loose in no time. They ran back to the front and shared their plan with the cyborgs. Though they weren't happy with their way out, it was an escape plan. Some were sent to gather everyone while the others helped to move the toilet and clear the path. Just as everyone arrived and the first group left, the humans were onto them.

The Doctor, Tunergefta, Rose, and the kids held them back with a blocked door and sonic devices on all of the locks. The humans were coming faster than they anticipated, so the rest of the group got into the TARDIS. They landed near the exit of the pipes and waited. One by one, the cyborgs were saved and taken to a new planet with better laws to start over.

Tunergefta was the last to leave. He thanked the strange family and paused in the doorway. "You have made Tunergefta a happy cyborg. Thank you."

Once he was gone, Rose turned to the Doctor with a smile. "Do you remember that part in the book where Tunergefta talks about traveling with a family?"

The Doctor thought back. "Yes. I do."

"He called one of them a physician, the other a flower, and a girl with her clone."

"Huh. That is true. I never put that together. Looks like that book isn't pretend after all. We've just inspired it. No wonder the girls love it so much."

They clapped her hands and laughed. "Our story!"

"Not even a year old and creating history. I am so very proud," Rose hummed happily.

"Maybe we should create more. Who wants another adventure?" the Doctor suggested as the girls cheered and Rose scowled. "What? We hardly did anything. I need more excitement. They agree with me."

"Hannah doesn't. She just left to her room," Rose teased lightheartedly only to frown when her daughter ran back in with a book. "_The Adventure of Victor the Vampire_? Oh no…Doctor…there's a part in there about a blue shadow appearing from thin air and a tall man with a silver torch."

"Well, looks like we're going to go play with vampires!"

The girls laughed excitedly and Rose left to the nursery to make sure that no other books were inspired by their family. She found six more.


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor put a knit cap on Hannah with a grin. "Look, Rose! Hannah has a hat that makes her look like a monkey. It has little flaps for ears."

"I know. We call her Hannah Banana, so I thought it was appropriate. Same with the one I got for Sarah. Hers is a bear. You know, our little Sarah Bear," Rose answered as she carried the bundled Sarah into the console room.

"That's brilliant! Did you explain to this Pablo that our girls are advanced? I don't want him to panic and lead his hoard of children away before the play date is even over."

She chuckled as the eleven month olds walked together towards the door, chatting in quiet whispers. "Yeah, I told him that we've got two prodigies. Miracles of science."

"Yep. Sums them up nicely."

They landed the TARDIS in a London park for their chilly play date with Pablo the waiter's five children. After they stepped out, they walked the children towards the playground. In a moment of genius earlier that week, the Doctor made little trackers. An alarm would go off if the girls ever got too far away from them, which would make watching the twins much easier. Once the family got closer, it wasn't difficult to spot Pablo. He was a young Spaniard with five children all under the age of eight holding onto his shirt and each other. Rose instantly went over with a big smile.

"Pablo, it's Rose Tyler."

"Rose! It is so nice to meet you after all this time. I see your girls are alive and in one piece. That's a good sign. And is this the father, Mr. Tyler?"

The Doctor brought the girls over and waffled. "Well, no. I'm the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Pablo repeated suspiciously.

"Dr. John Smith. We're not married," Rose covered quickly.

"Oh, I see. Well, my wife couldn't make it. She had to work. You wouldn't believe how much it costs to keep five kids. Let me introduce you. Gracia, age seven. Dina, age six. Hernando, age four. Augusto, age two. Karime, two months. Gracia! Stop biting your brother!"

They waited as he wrangled his eldest daughter and two year old son. Once that was done, the Doctor introduced the girls. "The one with the monkey is Hannah and the one with bear is Sarah."

"Very nice to meet the firecrackers. I especially enjoyed the phone call about them getting caught in the shower curtain," Pablo smiled as he turned to his troupe. "Listen kids. These two girls are very little so be very careful. Go play with them."

In a frenzy, the six children darted to the equipment. The parents sat down tiredly on the bench with baby girl Karime in her carrycot. Pablo leaned in with a whisper, "I'm so glad that we could do this. I have to live with my mum. Between her and the children, I'm about ready to tear my hair out."

"Thankfully, we don't live with her mother. If we did, I wouldn't have a hair left on my head…" the Doctor agreed.

She slapped his arm. "Oi, that's my mum you're talking about!"

A screaming band of kids caught their attention. Running, they reached a jungle gym where Gracia and her sister Dina were tangled precariously in the bars. Somehow, they managed to get caught between them and couldn't move. Pablo, calm as could be, looked it over with a thoughtful hum. "Well, this is new. Can't say this has happened before. Any ideas, you two?"

The Doctor put on his glasses and examined the design. "The bars are welded together. But, if I use the right frequency, I might be able to loosen the bond. Rose, can I use my sonic screwdriver?"

"Sonic what?" Pablo asked over the two children crying in the jungle gym and the baby squalling in the carrycot.

Rose sighed to herself. "I don't see any other option unless you want to wait on the authorities. We'll explain everything to Pablo later."

With a grin, the Doctor got to work while Rose and Pablo attempted to calm down Gracia and Dina. Naturally, Sarah and Hannah Tyler were not going to stay in one place. They were with Hernando and Augusto on the edge of the playground, sneaking away to have an adventure of their own. The clever girls knew about the trackers and easily slipped out of them.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," Hernando told his younger companions nervously. "Papa won't like this."

"No," Hannah argued as she took his hand. "It'll be fun."

"Hannah, the bush is moving…" Sarah commented excitedly.

They paused by a tree and Sarah took the lead of the group, producing her mini sonic from her jumper. Neither parent knew that she had brought it. The four children edged closer and closer as the bush shook. Augusto hid behind Sarah in terror. Hernando gripped Hannah's hand anxiously. With bravery, Sarah threw back part of the bush. A stray, black cat leapt out and Sarah toppled over.

"Cat! Cat! _Cat_!" Sarah announced with a disgusted face. "Run!"

She took off with Augusto and Hernando while Hannah walked to the cat with a grin. "Beautiful boy. Come."

The cat licked her hand and she glanced at the three kids hiding behind a tree. Sarah made a face at her twin. "Don't like cats. Daddy says they are scary."

"Rubbish. In a wimple, he said…" Hannah argued as she pet the stray with confidence.

Hernando came back over and did the same thing. "What's a wimple?"

"Nun hat," she told him with a giggle.

They chuckled and decided to play with the kitty. Reluctantly, Sarah led Augusto back to the bush. Hernando caught its wiggly tail and declared loudly, "Let's name him Mr. Tails!"

"I like it," Hannah agreed.

Augusto tugged on Sarah's sleeve and pointed ahead. "Pond. No fountain."

"What's he saying?" Sarah asked Hernando curiously.

"There's a fountain in that pond. It's shut off for winter. He likes it."

Sarah and Hannah looked out at the small pond. It had a thin layer of ice, but they could see the little spout. Exchanging smiles, the twins knew exactly what kind of adventure they wanted to go on.

"Turn it on?" Sarah suggested to the boys.

Augusto leapt up and down excitedly. "On!"

"You can? How?" Hernando wondered.

Hannah stuck her tongue out slyly. "Stuff of legend. C'mon. Bring the cat."

"Don't!" Sarah argued.

It was too late. Hernando had Mr. Tails in one arm and Hannah's hand in the other. Augusto grabbed Sarah and they began their adventure.

At the jungle gym, Rose glanced at the equipment. "Doctor, I don't see the girls or Pablo's boys."

"They're probably on the other side of that wooden structure. Don't worry. The trackers would go off if they got too far. I need you to hold this for a moment."

Although she had a bad feeling, she trusted the Doctor and went back to helping her Time Lord free Pablo's girls. If something happened to her children, Rose Tyler wouldn't let the Doctor live it down. He seemed confident that they didn't have a problem.

The children reached the maintenance shed. Sarah used her sonic on the lock and Hernando, being the tallest, easily opened the door. They went into the strange room with many pipes and levers until Hannah found the right one. After unlocking the system and pushing the right buttons, the pipes sprung to life.

"I hear someone!" Hernando exclaimed. "We might be in trouble!"

"Best place to be," Sarah shrugged as they darted outside and back towards the pond.

Two security guards came running to the shack and scratched their heads at the pipes being turned on. When they went to turn them off, the system was locked in place. They would have to call in an expert to fix the situation before the pipes burst from the cold.

Back at the pond, the girls frowned. The fountain wasn't on. Hannah figured out why. "Frozen shut."

"Do you have it?" Sarah inquired hopefully.

With an expression that looked far too much like her mother's, she produced her sonic from her tiny trainers. "I _always_ have it. Why?"

"Crack the ice. One isn't enough."

Nodding, they used their sonic screwdrivers in unison. The ice cracked and water shot into the sky. Augusto cheered and Hernando couldn't believe his eyes. He smiled at Hannah widely. "I like you."

"I like you too," she grinned while Sarah made a face.

"Ew, Hannah. He's a boy."

"Let's take them home with us. They'd like it," Hannah decided as she grabbed Hernando's hand. "Run!"

As they left the pond, the fountain burst into a thousand little pieces and half of the park shook from pipes rupturing. Meanwhile, at the jungle gym, the Doctor was just a few moments away from freeing the children. Pablo was suspicious about this man and his device, but he was grateful that they were helping him. They felt the ground tremble, but they were too busy to worry about it. With a final push, the bar cracked and Pablo caught Dina. That gave Gracia enough room to drop to the ground. He hugged his girls and took the carrycot back from Rose.

"I don't know how you did that, but it was awesome. I love you two! Come here!" he laughed as he hugged the curious travelers.

Rose shrugged modestly. "He's the best. What can I say?"

"Did you get that on tape?" the Doctor wondered. "I want to replay that every time you blame me for something or complain that I'm going too easy on the girls."

"Where are they? They've been awfully quiet," Rose commented as she looked around.

From behind a few flowerbeds, the four children and Mr. Tails appeared looking as innocently as possible. The girls had gotten back into their trackers like nothing had happened. Rose smiled at them and bumped elbows with the Doctor. "Do you see our Hannah? Holdings hands with Hernando."

"He is far too old for her. She's not even one and he's four. It's just wrong," he scowled.

"And how many centuries are we apart?" Rose teased with her tongue poking out.

Frowning deeply, he put an arm around Rose. "They're going to grow up one day."

"I know. That's what I keep trying to tell you."

The kids came over to them and Hannah stepped forward. "Can they come to the TARDIS? Please, Daddy?"

Pablo overheard this and looked at Rose. "What's a TARDIS?"

"Blimey, just bring your small army and follow me…" the Doctor grumbled.

In a large chain with everyone holding hands, except the two month old and stray cat, they went to the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the door and ushered everyone inside. Pablo rubbed his eyes in astonishment. "What is this?"

"Spaceship, time machine, police box, bigger on the inside, home…" he listed with a grin. "I'm not human. My name is the Doctor, just the Doctor, and I'm something called a Time Lord. The girls are half alien. That's why they're so advanced. If you want to run out screaming, we completely understand."

In typical Pablo fashion, he nodded breezily. "No, this makes perfect sense. There's no other way to explain everything. I can't believe that I know an alien! Wicked cool. Will you ever take us for a spin? I think the little ones would like that. Probably not as much as me, though."

"Well, we do owe you for giving us advice…" Rose answered with a glance at the Doctor.

He stepped towards Pablo with his hand extended. "Welcome aboard, Pablo and company."

"I better do a headcount before we go anywhere. My wife nearly left me when I left Dina on the bus," he laughed as he counted the kids. "Wait, where's Hernando? I saw him come in here."

"And where's Hannah?" Rose wondered.

Sarah pulled on the Doctor's trousers and motioned to the hall. "They went that way."

In the movie room, Hannah had started the Lion King and joined her new friend and pet cat on the couch. Hernando put an arm around her and his feet on K-9. They watched the film, ignoring all calls for them to go back to the console room immediately.


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't believe it. One year. Already," Rose sniffled as she dressed the kids for cold London weather. "Seems like only yesterday we woke up in laboratory and were told that we'd have children."

"Well, that is the way of time, Rose. Do you know what today is, girls?" he asked his daughters in passing. He was busy gathering their presents in a bag.

"Our birthday," Sarah answered, fighting Rose against her pink coat.

"And Christmas," Hannah added as she discreetly reached into Rose's bag for some makeup.

Rose caught the movement and put it back. "You aren't allowed to wear makeup until you are much older, Hannah. And you, Sarah Jaclyn, need to let Mummy put this coat on you. It's cold."

After finally agreeing to wear the coat, the family wandered out of the TARDIS and onto the Powell Estate for a tiny gathering for the twins and Christmas. Jackie threw open the door in a festive jumper and quickly embraced each member of the family. Hannah ran right past her to see Mr. Tails. The Doctor and Sarah refused to keep the cat, so Jackie volunteered to take him. Sarah went for the pudding on the table and Rose pulled the Doctor under some mistletoe.

She kissed him enthusiastically with a big smile. "Merry Christmas, Doctor."

"Merry Christmas, Rose. Let's put the presents under the lamp."

"Where's the cute robot dogs?" Jackie wondered as she brought in some more food. "They should be here."

"Charging," Sarah explained. "I played too much."

Chuckling, Jackie pecked the girl on the forehead. "Such an energetic one. When are your mates getting here? You do know that I had to cook for half the population."

"They should be here any second. You'll love them, Mum. Great kids. Great dad. We haven't met his wife, but I'll bet that she's lovely…" Rose answered while she scooped up Hannah before the infant climbed the curtains.

It took about twenty minutes before they heard the knock. In the meantime, they had fun with Christmas crackers and opened a few small birthday gifts. When they heard it, Jackie opened the door and kids poured inside. She about got knocked down by the group.

"Easy!" Pablo called to his children as he walked inside in a full Santa suit, complete with a large bag of toys. "You must be Jackie Tyler, Rose's mum. I'm Pablo and this is my wife Martina."

His wife was about his age and had the baby in her arms. They all said hello and made their introductions. Hernando and Hannah instantly disappeared with Mr. Tails and Sarah sat with the older girls to play games. She instantly got bored with them and went to find her sister instead. Augusto clung to Pablo's leg as he attempted to talk to the time travelers.

"Thank you for inviting us. It's great to get away from my mum's place for a bit. We had a nice breakfast, but that's all we can take. Happy birthday to the twins! One year. It's a big occasion. We got them a little something. Where should I put the gifts?"

Rose pointed to the decorated lamp. "Right there. I know it's a bit weird."

"Not really. That explains everything," Pablo replied as he set the gifts out.

The Doctor frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"There's a tree just outside. I can go bring it in if you'd like. We always wait to the last minute too."

Jackie, Rose, and the Doctor exchanged looks. "Tree?"

They heard a whirring sound and the Doctor and Rose quickly started to move kids and people away from the wall, not noticing that some were missing. Jackie and Martina dragged them to the kitchen while Pablo stayed back with his friends.

"Doctor, what's going on?"

"Killer Christmas tree. That's why we stick to the lamp," he explained as he searched his pockets. "Rose, I don't have my sonic screwdriver. I swear that I did when we left."

"I have my sonic makeup applicator," she answered as she started to dig through her bag.

The tree started to chip away at the wall and the Doctor waited impatiently. "Rose!"

"Don't rush me! You know how women are with their bags!"

"What can I do?" Pablo called over the noise.

"Do you have a sonic device by chance?" the Doctor asked hopefully.

Pablo scowled. "Sorry, I must have left it on my other spaceship."

Meanwhile, Hannah and Sarah were with Hernando exploring a closet in Rose's old room. Sarah had swiped the screwdriver from her dad and decided to teach Hernando how to use it. When there was the commotion, Mr. Tails went under the bed. Sarah tugged urgently on Hannah's sleeve. They nodded and Hernando timidly followed them towards the doorway. They observed the tree, noting that it was almost through the wall. Hannah grabbed the screwdriver and went running. The other two followed.

Rose was still searching for her sonic device. The Doctor _and_ Pablo were helping. Jackie popped her head around the corner, completely missing the fact that three children weren't accounted for and just darted in front of her. "Bloody hell, will you hurry up in there!"

"Trying, Jackie!" the Doctor shouted anxiously.

Hannah messed with the settings on the sonic screwdriver, groaning when she didn't know what to do. Hernando caught up and tried to protect her. She gave him a smirk and turned to Sarah. "What setting?"

Sarah told her sister the right setting, and Hannah pointed at the tree just as it came inside. In sparks and lights, the tree exploded. Slowly, Rose and the Doctor turned towards the children.

"What are you doing with my sonic screwdriver?" the Doctor asked in amazement. "And how'd you know what to do? I've never told you what to do if Christmas trees attack. Although, I should have. This _is_ London."

"Sarah knows everything," Hannah rolled her eyes.

"I do. I'm clever," Sarah agreed. "Stole from you, Daddy. Sorry. So Sorry."

"We'll talk about that later. Question is, why is the tree back? Who is controlling the drones this time?" the Doctor hummed curiously.

Rose thought for a moment. "If something is controlling it, we should be able to track it, right?"

"Yes. Hannah Rosaline Tyler, return my sonic screwdriver this instant."

Guiltily, she handed it over. He went to the shards of the Christmas tree and picked through it until he found the control mechanism. Using that, he found the frequency and adjusted the screwdriver accordingly. The screwdriver bleeped and he grinned.

"Shall we follow it?"

"What about Christmas?" Pablo asked with a nod to the kitchen full of terrified people.

"This is Christmas when you're friends with us," Rose informed him with a pat on the back. "You can stay with my mum and wait for us to get back if you'd like."

"Are you mental? A chance to run with you two? Let's go," he decided as he turned to the kitchen. "Martina, stay with Jackie and the kids. We have to go do hero stuff."

"I'm coming," Hernando argued.

"He is," Hannah decided without consulting anybody.

The two kids already started for the door with Sarah in pursuit. Rose and the Doctor followed with Pablo right behind. Heeding the bleeps of the sonic screwdriver, they wandered a few blocks until Pablo stopped everyone. He looked at a large and odd building. It didn't fit with the others and resembled something from a science fiction film.

"That usually isn't there," he told his time traveling friends.

"He's right. It's not. Doctor?" Rose asked.

Carefully, they moved closer and the sonic went mad. He grinned excitedly. "We've found the source! Now, children, you are to stay close and not run off. Do you understand? Particularly you, Hannah. I know how you are."

She pouted. "Oh okay!"

Together, they entered the structure from a front door after the Doctor unlocked it. Inside, it was clearly some sort of spaceship or futuristic structure. Upon exploring various levels, they came to a control room. Inside, there was a group of aliens that looked more like little bunny rabbits. The girls squealed excitedly and Rose pulled a face. "So cuddly and cute, yeah? Surely they aren't bad news."

"No. They are. They have a Napoleon complex. Have to compensate for their small size and fluffiness. No one get too close," the Doctor said, discreetly dragging Hannah back to his side by the jumper. She scowled as Sarah laughed.

"What do they want?" Pablo whispered from behind the Doctor.

"You heard the man. What do you want? And exactly why were you trying to kill me?" he demanded.

The lead bunny alien, which adorable with its dark polka dots, hopped forward. "We detected your technology and found your life sign. Our ship was just passing by when the alert went off. After taking a closer look, we have decided that this planet is perfect for our population. We're going to kill all the humans and claim it as ours. We know who you are, and you would stand in our way. The last of the Time Lords."

"Well, you've got me there. I certainly would stop you. Though, you interrupted our Christmas. That was very rude. So, we'll make this quick. Leave now so that we can go open our presents. If not, things have to get very ugly."

"No. We aren't leaving," the bunny leader answered.

Rose sighed. "Mistake, mate. Big mistake."

"Sarah, why don't you hold onto this?" the Doctor said with a wink as he passed her his sonic screwdriver. "Hannah, why don't you go over there to take a look at the screen? I'm just going to look at this console right here…"

Understanding completely, Sarah switched settings on the screwdriver and Hannah got ready at the screen. The rabbit aliens weren't threatened by one year old humans, so they chuckled at the scene before them. Casually, the Doctor quickly switched a few things around on the console. He nodded and the girls went into action. Sarah used the sonic on a nearby control box and Hannah adjusted the settings. The result was a force shield that trapped the aliens in their place.

"How'd they do that?" the aliens demanded. "They're just babies!"

"Our babies," Rose informed them happily. "Doctor, we're waiting for instructions."

"Right! Pablo, you go over to that and hold that lever. Hernando, you go over there with Sarah. She'll tell you what to do. Rose, you're with me. Hannah, hold your position. We're going to overload everything!"

He went to a station with Rose and showed her what to do. On his signal, they each did their task. With all of the commands coming in at once, the ship couldn't handle it. It attempted to do everything at the same time and began to short circuit. They ran for the door as the camouflaged ship began to fall apart. The Doctor paused in the doorway.

"Merry Christmas!"

With that, they ran into the street and watched the building catch fire and start to crumble. Slowly, they walked back to Jackie's flat to finish their celebration. When they arrived, Jackie and Martina were busy cutting up cardboard boxes and patching the hole in the wall. Martina gave Pablo a very friendly greeting while Jackie glared, "It can never be normal on Christmas. Never."

"Normal is boring," the Doctor scoffed. "Besides, we're all in one piece and ready to celebrate! Who's hungry? I'm starving. Tell me there's something banana."

They sat down to a lovely, albeit drafty, dinner. Once that was done, they started to open presents. Chaos ensued with seven children all playing and screaming at the top of their lungs. Rose was with the Doctor on the couch. He had an arm around her and a paper crown on his head. She was busy petting Mr. Tails and watching their girls play with the other kids.

"You know, those girls have taught me something…" Rose hummed thoughtfully.

"Have they?" he wondered with a wide smile.

"Yep. I didn't think that it was possible to love you any more than I already did. I was wrong."

"Blimey, I need to start carrying a tape recorder! That's another bit I would love to have. I could play it over and over and _over_—"

"Keep going and I'll take back what I just said. Anyway, what I was saying before, I see so much of you in them. I'm so glad that we had kids, Doctor. Best thing that has ever happened in the history of the universe. Sometimes, I hate that we can't have loads more."

He smirked at that and leaned in close. "Who says we can't?"

"The lab was a one-time thing. You said it yourself. It can't happen any other way."

"I happen to be very clever, thank you. I'd bet that I can replicate the process. Might take some time and research, but anything is possible. I would like a boy. A ginger. Well, I'd settle for a blond. I see some of you in the girls, but I'd want him to be a spitting image of you."

"Well, I want two boys. _Not at the same time_, though. I'd be barmy to do this twin thing again."

"Two boys and two girls. Sounds brilliant. Let's do that."

"Seriously?"

"Why not?"

The girls got into a shouting match over a new toy just across the room. Then, Pablo slowly wandered by them with his older daughters each on a leg and little Augusto hanging from his hair. He sent a look at his friends with a heavy sigh. After he struggled to the other side of the room, Rose and the Doctor exchanged glances.

"Maybe we should wait until the girls are a bit older before we have more," Rose suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a genius idea."

Sarah and Hannah accidentally crashed a remote control helicopter, which was Hernando's, into the cardboard patched wall. The entire thing fell down, and the tape they used to keep the boxes together took off the paint. Then, the girls made a run for it. Jackie put a hand to her forehead. "My wall!"

The Doctor and Rose lethargically got up to follow their daughters, chuckling the entire way…

_**End**_

_A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs! I've had great fun writing this story, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. _


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